<P> During early discussions on where to build the Hall of Fame and Museum, the Foundation's board considered the Cuyahoga River . Ultimately, the chosen location was along East Ninth Street in downtown Cleveland by Lake Erie, east of Cleveland Stadium . </P> <P> At one point in the planning phase, when a financing gap existed, planners proposed locating the Rock Hall in the then - vacant May Company Building, but finally decided to commission architect I.M. Pei to design a new building . Initial CEO Dr. Larry R. Thompson facilitated I.M. Pei in designs for the site . Pei came up with the idea of a tower with a glass pyramid protruding from it . The museum tower was initially planned to stand 200 ft (61 m) high, but had to be cut down to 162 ft (49 m) due to its proximity to Burke Lakefront Airport . The building's base is approximately 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2). The groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 7, 1993 . Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, Sam Phillips, Ruth Brown, Sam Moore of Sam and Dave, Carl Gardner of the Coasters and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum all appeared at the groundbreaking . </P> <P> The museum was dedicated on September 1, 1995, with the ribbon being cut by an ensemble that included Yoko Ono and Little Richard, among others, before a crowd of more than 10,000 people . The following night an all - star concert was held at the stadium . It featured Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Iggy Pop, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, and many others . </P> <P> In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, the museum documents the entire history of rock and roll, regardless of induction status . Hall of Fame inductees are honored in a special exhibit located in a wing that juts out over Lake Erie . </P>

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