20 years ago today the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened its doors in Cleveland!
Cleveland was chosen as the site for the museum in May 1986, four months after the Hall inducted its first group of artists at a New York gala. The museum groundbreaking was held June 7th, 1993 with architect I.M. Pei joined by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board members Ahmet Ertegun, Suzan Evans and Jann Wenner, as well as inductees and prominent artists such as Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, Sam Phillips, Ruth Brown, Sam Moore, Carl Gardner and Dave Pirner (from Soul Asylum). Just under 27 months later, the doors opened and rock and roll finally had its own museum.
The next night, September 2nd, a gala Concert for the Hall of Fame was held outdoors at Cleveland Stadium to cap the celebration, and its doors were opened to the general public.