Motown Museum showcases $50M expansion design with video

Detroit — The Motown Museum released a video Wednesday showcasing the proposed design of the museum's $50 million expansion.

The small house of music stretches into a 40,000-square-foot museum dedicated to entertainment and education. The architectural design shows an expanded campus structure that connects with the existing 10,0000-square-foot Hitsville USA.

Planned improvements include new interactive exhibits, a theater, recording studios and an enlarged museum store.

This overhead view of the project illustrates museum visitors moving through an outdoor performance space, and captures the design and energy surrounding the expanded facility, said Motown Museum Chairwoman and CEO Robin Terry.

“It’s such a thrill for us to give the world this fresh visual of what our expanded campus will look like when construction is completed,” Terry said in a statement. “The dynamic format for this aerial ‘flyover’ video means you can experience the project in a way that even the most detailed plans and renderings cannot—bringing the expansion to life in a way that makes you feel like you’re there.

"This preview also illustrates how the museum will offer unique programming, a collaborative space for the community to gather and one-of-a-kind experiences that no other institution can match.”

The late architect Phil Freelon, formerly a design director at global architecture firm Perkins and Will, led the original architectural design of the expansion. The Motown Museum expansion was the final museum project of his career, Terry said.

Motown Museum is a nonprofit that has been at its West Grand Boulevard location since it was founded by Esther Gordy Edwards in 1985. The proposed new structure and parking will sit on 10 city lots on Ferry Park behind Hitsville.

After reaching the halfway point with $25 million in fundraising, Berry Gordy and other special guests broke ground on Hitsville Next in September. They said Hitsville Next is designed to inspire future generations of creatives and entrepreneurs who follow in the footsteps of Motown legends.

Motown Museum already offers four programs as part of its Hitsville Next initiative, and the expansion project makes new programs possible that provide education and resources to budding artists and entrepreneurs in Detroit and beyond, officials said. 

Workforce development training programs will also be offered. 

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_