Motown Museum Expansion Rendering

**401don** · February-12-20, 10:52 AM

Speaking of ugly architecture, another box to join the Pistons Practice facility:

https://www.freep.com/story/entertai...eo/4726536002/

**bragaboutme** · February-12-20, 01:50 PM

You don't like the design? I looks great to me and they incorporate the homes on both sides major plus.

**Gistok** · February-12-20, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by bragaboutme

You don't like the design? I looks great to me and they incorporate the homes on both sides major plus.

Yes... it looks OK... and I too like the fact that they are incorporating the houses and I like how the entranceway is is between them, as opposed to an entrance on the back. Anyone know the history of the other 4 houses that may be related to Motown?

**401don** · February-12-20, 02:57 PM

If they were going to have a cutting edge design that somehow incorporated a music theme [[without being tacky) I'm okay with where it is. I know most people disagree but I think it would have been better where people can drop in without making an effort to get there. Renovating a building downtown such as the Wayne County Building and moving the original house to the lawn would have been great.

**Gistok** · February-12-20, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

If they were going to have a cutting edge design that somehow incorporated a music theme [[without being tacky) I'm okay with where it is. I know most people disagree but I think it would have been better where people can drop in without making an effort to get there. Renovating a building downtown such as the Wayne County Building and moving the original house to the lawn would have been great.

It's not just the one house. There were originally 8 houses involved in Motown, of which 4 are still owned by them. So it is more than just one house that could have been moved elsewhere.

Cutting edge seems somewhat out of place in an existing neighborhood. The front entrance to the new museum will be where one of the Motown houses burned down long ago. so the museum will be behind the row of houses away from the main street [[West Grand Boulevard). So it makes little sense to put "cutting edge" behind a row of 1920s houses.

The only way moving the house containing "Studio A" would possibly have worked was if they moved it adjacent to the later 12 story Donovan Building, which became Motown's HQ just before they moved to LA. But the Donovan Building [[on Woodward Ave.) in what would have been the shadow of Little Caesars Arena, was torn down over a dozen years ago.

West Grand Boulevard from Woodward westward is seeing a revival. The Fisher Building, former GM HQ [[now Cadillac Centre where the state of Michigan has their Detroit offices), new apartment complexes, Henry Ford Hospital and its' new 300 acre campus expansion will all tie into the expansion westward to Motown Museum.

**401don** · February-12-20, 03:38 PM

Some good points. I guess my concern is most museums are constantly trying to increase attendance and revenues. I would like as many people as possible to see the new one. I don't know how many travel writers have described the current museum by mentioning they were the only visitors at the time they were there. My point of reference is the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto. Ideally located on Yonge St. near Union Station, I have personally been with friends and relatives who insist we stop in when we were downtown for some other reason. There are so many people visiting Detroit now for conventions, ball games, etc. that have a couple of hours to kill that would drop in to the museum that wouldn't make that extra effort to see it in its current location.

**Hypestyles** · February-12-20, 05:57 PM

well, best of luck, though I think this really could have been fully bankrolled already.

**bust** · February-13-20, 12:57 PM

No complaints whatsoever with this design.
The box isn't particularly inspiring, but by keeping it simple it preserves focus where it belongs, on the historic houses.
The album spine concept is clever, I guess.
And like Gistok said, it's great they made the primary entrance on W Grand, and they kept the museum where it belongs.
I hope this becomes the high quality museum its high quality subject deserves!

**mallory** · February-17-20, 09:30 AM

Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE Motown fan and support the museum and all, but this seems a little over the top. Meh, just me I guess.

**stasu1213** · February-17-20, 01:39 PM

Who had given this architect the nod to design this cube? It will be too costly with minimal support to maintain it.

**DetBill** · February-17-20, 02:25 PM

Here we go again,, but no mention is made of the typical Detroit issue, which we are seeing all over,, the costs will probably double by the time it is built, which will probably half the project in design , or make the whole thing cost prohibitive.. The longer you wait on all of this, the costs go up exponentially... We never seem to learn this here in Detroit when these projects are announced, who ever costs out these projects really needs to take into consideration the future costs factor, it is totally nieve not to.

**Gistok** · February-17-20, 03:57 PM

Um.... you are aware that ground has been broken, and that this project is being done in phases. The small very first phase is the rehab of the 3 houses to the left of the future entrance. There will be 4 phases to construction.

Over half of the money has already been raised.