By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on January 05, 2010 11:00 AM
After Opening In 2008 To Huge Press Coverage, And High Expectations The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Annex In Soho Closed Its Doors On Sunday
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Annex Leaves New York
New York, you didn’t rock--so the Hall of Fame is rolling on out. Just a year after opening up in New York City, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex, located in SoHo, is gone. The doors closed on Sunday for the last time.
While the original Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is still going strong in Cleveland, the satellite just couldn't make a go of it in the Big Apple. The stagnant economy and fewer tourists over the past year are most likely to blame. (Surely it couldn’t be New Yorkers’ inherent lack of rock-fabulousness? Let’s hope not.)
High Prices And Bad Location
More likely were the pricey tickets ($26.50, $4.50 more than the price of admission in Cleveland.) In a time when attractions are competing for tourist dollars, the not-that-well-known museum in a somewhat-out-of-the-way location (Mercer Street, not necessarily a mecca for tourists) clearly suffered. The museum had a wide array of memorabilia, ranging from the king’s jumpsuit (that would be Elvis, folks) to a tribute to John Lennon’s years in New York and Bruce Springsteen’s Chevy.
It opened to huge press in 2008, and was hailed by Mayor Bloomberg as another must-see stop for tourists. The Cleveland museum employs more than 900 people and adds $100 million to Cleveland’s economy every year. Those of you who missed the wooden phone box from the music club CBGB at the New York branch need not despair—opportunities to take the objects on tour are currently being reviewed.
