Ohio has officially arrived in New York! This summer Mayor Bloomberg announced that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would open an Annex in SoHo, officially extending the Cleveland museum all the way to Manhattan.
This week the 76 Mercer Street location officially opened to the tune of $9 million. ArtInfo reports that the "25,000-square-foot basement space, focuses on New York rock culture, with a special gallery devoted to local musicians and temporary exhibitions that change biannually. The first show, 'Revolution Rock,' is devoted to The Clash" (from London). The NY Times reports back that "the wooden phone box from CBGB, plastered with decades-old stickers" and "graffitied wall sections from that landmark club, along with two of its loudspeakers and a metal frame for the CBGB & OMFUG awning" are also making a new home at the Annex.
The full shebang will cost you $26, with a full tour running about 90 minutes. Joel Peresman, president of the Hall of Fame Foundation, says "in New York you have to prove yourself, whether you're a sports team or a museum. We have an important story to tell. And you have to have something interesting and compelling; otherwise, New Yorkers are going to blow it off."
