Thanks in part to a generous donation by the Country Music Association, and the donations of many others, Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is set to expand.
The Country Music Association has recently pledged ten million towards towards the Working on a Building: Country Music Lives Here campaign. This is the single largest donation ever made by the Country Music Association and will allow Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which originally opened in 1967, to more than double in size in 2014 to over 350,000 square feet.
In the plans for the expansion: an 800-seat CMA Theater, state-of-the-art design allowing for concerts, movie screenings, lectures and more. Backstage will include a green room, band room, and four dressing rooms.
“CMA and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum are connected by history and our shared interest in preserving the legacy, rewarding excellence, and advancing the future of the format,” says Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This donation is the latest example of CMA’s longstanding commitment to the Hall of Fame. We are proud to support the growth of the Hall and we look forward to using the CMA Theater in a variety of ways that will shine a spotlight on the Country Music industry and format.”
“We are indebted to the CMA for a gift that serves our educational mission, benefits Music City, and serves a worldwide audience,” says Museum Director Kyle Young. “In Nashville, the CMA Theater’s seating capacity is unique and will fill a gap in available performance halls”. who believes the updates will make the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as a hot venue for touring artists and a cherished treasure of musical history (especially Country Music) for years to come.
