Country Music Hall of Fame Unveils Expansion
April 21, 2014
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN, unveiled its 210,000-sf expansion during a grand opening ceremony.
The celebration marked the final phase of the museum’s expansion — 10,000 sf of new gallery space — joining recently opened additions including the 800-seat CMA Theater, the Taylor Swift Education Center, a new home for the legendary and thriving letterpress operation Hatch Show Print and the Event Hall. The expansion also includes much-needed archival and library storage, allowing for even more robust cultivation of the museum’s treasured collection.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is connected to the Omni Nashville Hotel on several levels, creating adjoining function space in the two buildings.
Country music star Vince Gill performed at the grand opening ceremony.
The grand opening ceremony was made possible with support from Ford Motor Company and the Middle Tennessee Ford Dealers. Performances by Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, the McCrary Sisters, Ricky Skaggs, the Valentines and Lee Ann Womack, accompanied by the Grand Opening All-Star Band, under the direction of Buddy Miller, served as soul-stirring reminders of the diverse musical family the museum exists to exalt, while Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Museum Director Kyle Young and museum board Chairman Steve Turner each delivered inspiring commemorative remarks.
The event drew hundreds of today’s music industry, government and community leaders, as well as original, longtime museum visionaries such as Country Music Hall of Fame member and board Chairman Emeritus Bud Wendell and enthusiastic members of the general public.