I. M. Pei designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the shore of Lake Erie, along East Ninth Street in downtown Cleveland. The structural engineers were Leslie E. Robertson Associates. Ground was broken on June 7, 1993, and the museum was dedicated on September 1, 1995, before a crowd of more than 10,000. Cleveland civic leaders pledged $65 million in public money.
Pei combined geometric forms and cantilevered spaces. A tower supports a dual-triangular glass tent that extends over the entry plaza, and a glass pyramid projects from it. The tower is 162 feet (49 m) tall. Pei first planned 200 feet (61 m), but cut it because of the nearby Burke Lakefront Airport. The building has seven levels, with more than 55,000 square feet (5,100 sq m) of exhibition space.
In 2020 the museum announced plans to renovate and expand its footprint by a third, with the firm PAU leading the project.
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