That’s Baller: Berry Gordy Donates $4 Million To Expand The Motown Museum

Long before the days of Hot Girl Summer, many powerful musicians, songwriters, producers, and vocalists were introduced to the world through the legendary music label, Motown Records. While the music industry itself may have evolved over the years, the history of Berry Gordy’s Motown won’t soon be forgotten, thanks to continued efforts to keep the Motown Museum thriving.

The museum is seeking a $50 million expansion that would increase the building size to 50,000 square feet, allowing room for interactive exhibits, retail spaces and recording studios. Gordy recently contributed the largest individual donation of $4 million to the fund that accrued a total of $18 million as of last December.  Other donors include Ford Motor Co., Kellogg Foundation, and the DTE a Detroit based energy foundation. According to the museums CEO and Gordy’s grand-niece Robin Terry, “There would be no Motown legacy, Motown Sound or Motown Museum without Berry Gordy. He has given the world a soundtrack to live by; Detroit a legacy of pride; and our youth an example of entrepreneurial and creative excellence,”. She went on to state that Gordy’s donation has built momentum for others to contribute to the museum’s growth as well. There is no available timeline on when construction is set to begin as it will depend on the amount of money raised through fundraising. 

Keeping the Motown legacy alive is critical to preserving the truth about the success of this vital time in both musical and black cultural history.