The Motown Museum is getting a $50 million expansion

he Motown Museum we know and love is getting a $50 million makeover, with plans to expand to a 50,000-square-foot entertainment destination.

The soon-to-be-improved museum will include interactive exhibits, a state-of-the-art performance theater, recording studios, expanded retail and meeting spaces designed by world renown architects and exhibit designers.

The original Hitsville U.S.A. studio will be preserved, of course, but the new museum will be built around the existing museum space.

“When I look back on that magical time in Detroit, I’m reminded of how a company, based on love, fairness and competition, came together to create something special.  It was about music and so much more,” Motown Founder Berry Gordy says. “It brings me real joy, and I am proud and humbled to know that the inclusive legacy of Motown, and the most talented people who are so near and dear to my heart, will have their stories told in this new Museum.”

With the new facilities, the museum hopes to transform the surrounding neighborhood along West Grand Boulevard by providing employment and hopefully being a catalyst for other investment interest in the area

“Our goal is to bring an expanded Motown Museum to the world, to inspire dreams and serve as an educational resource for global and local communities while creating an international mecca of music and entertainment history,” Motown Museum Chairwoman and CEO Robin Terry says. “This expanded facility will be an exhilarating national and international tourist destination which will allow us to narrate and celebrate on a much larger scale what the Motown legacy is recognized for: unmatched creative genius that transcends every barrier imaginable by bringing people together from all walks of life to share in the unmistakable Motown Sound.”