The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC opened in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood in 2008.
The annex opened on November 18, 2008, at 76 Mercer Street, just west of Broadway. It was created as a New York branch of the Cleveland-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and occupied about 25,000 square feet in an underground space. The venue combined Hall of Fame artifacts with exhibits emphasizing New York’s own musical history.
Displays included Prince’s coat from Purple Rain, David Byrne’s oversized suit from Stop Making Sense, Elvis Presley memorabilia, Bruce Springsteen’s 1957 Chevrolet, and the sticker-covered phone booth associated with CBGB. A large scale model of Manhattan highlighted important rock locations across the city.
The annex was short-lived. It closed on January 3, 2010, after just over a year, with the 2008 financial crisis and weaker tourism commonly cited as major factors. SoHo is sometimes confused with nearby Tribeca or Greenwich Village, but the address was firmly in SoHo.