Detroit's Motown Museum unveils plans for new plaza

Detroit's Motown Museum continues its planned multimillion-dollar expansion, announcing a new plan for an outdoor plaza.

According to a press release sent Sunday, the plaza design is "inspired by a time when young Motown acts like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops and so many others, would hang out in front of Motown’s headquarters on W. Grand Boulevard."

It adds, "For visitors to the Museum, the plaza will begin their memorable experience from the moment they set foot on it. They will arrive at a beautifully lit granite paver expanse, surrounded by colorful flowers, lush plantings, park benches and a pop-up performance stage surrounded by a sound system playing their favorite Motown hits."

The plaza was designed by Detroit-based Hamilton Anderson & Associates. Construction begins this month and is expected to be complete by summer 2022.


"The plaza is such an important part of our expansion project," Motown Museum Chairwoman and CEO Robin Terry said in a statement. "The last year has proven just how important these outdoor spaces are to thriving communities, and we are thrilled to create something that has been much needed in our city. The new Motown Museum plaza will be a place where residents and tourists from around the globe can come to bask in Motown music, be entertained by pop-up performances and connect with other Motown fans on the very grounds where the Motown Sound was born and music history was made."

In the meantime, indoor tours at Hitsville U.S.A. are closed while the museum undergoes an exterior restoration. The museum is also working on Hitsville NEXT, which will see three homes transformed into an "education and creative hub" that will provide music classes, workshops, and other community events.

The museum says it has raised $32 million of the $55 million it needs for the project.

"Momentum and enthusiasm for the project has never been higher," Terry said. "We continue to be full of gratitude for our generous partners who have joined us on this passionate mission to make the bold vision of an expanded museum a reality."

The plan calls for expanding the museum to a nearly 50,000-square-foot entertainment and education tourist destination with exhibits, a performance theater, recording studios, expanded retail, and meeting spaces.

More information is available at motownmuseum.org.

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