Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Debuts Major Expansion in 2026
This Cleveland landmark’s upcoming 5,000-square-foot addition promises to bring new event spaces that merge seamlessly with the existing museum.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is turning up the volume on its event offerings with a 55,000-square-foot expansion set to open in 2026. This dedicated multipurpose space is the first of its kind for the Rock Hall and is designed to host events ranging from corporate dinners to concerts to meetings in on-site conference rooms without disrupting museum operations.
“For the first time in the history of the museum, we’ll actually have a traditional event space,” says Michael Detling, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s director of event sales and services. “We can host indoor concerts. We can host larger school groups, education programs, field trips and every type of event that we’ve always wanted to host in the building.”
At the heart of the expansion is Baker Hall, a 5,000-square-foot multipurpose venue that can accommodate up to 700 guests for receptions or 400 for seated dinners and concerts. The new construction’s atrium and community steps connect the space seamlessly to the museum’s iconic glass pyramid, combining modern design with the Rock Hall’s signature look.
The addition also includes the Howley Family Student Center, which expands programming for the thousands of students who visit each year, and the Taylor Family Community Park, a new lakefront green space for concerts and gatherings designed by James Corner Field Operations.
Sustainability is also central to the project, with an eco-friendly roof, rain garden and a new system that uses water from Lake Erie to heat the building — the first of its kind approved by the state.
With lakefront views, modern amenities and unmistakable energy, the Rock Hall’s newest addition offers meetings that can flow from a business presentation to a tour through decades of music history.
“What I’m most excited for are all the events that we’ve had to pass on hosting in the past 30 years,” Detling says. We are a museum first, and we’re an event space second. Now we have an option where we can be an event space first.” 1100 E. Ninth St., Cleveland 44114, 216-515-1933, rockhall.com