Berry Gordy will donate $4 million to a planned $50-million expansion of the Motown Museum, reportedly his biggest known investment in Detroit since leaving with his record label nearly a half-century ago.
The original Motown Records studio on West Grand Boulevard near the Lodge is planning a 50,000 square foot complex that would solidify the area's place as a music destination. As of a year ago, $16 million had reportedly been raised.
The Free Press reports how Gordy has quietly aided the 3-year-old expansion campaign.
The Hitsville site once seemed something of an afterthought for the music mogul, who will turn 90 in November. Abandoned when the label headed west, the property was revived as a museum in 1985 by his late sister Esther Gordy Edwards.
But Gordy — who grew up on Detroit’s east side — has become increasingly engaged with the site’s legacy and the expansion campaign. Prior to the museum's expansion announcement in 2016, he deeded several West Grand Boulevard and Ferry Street properties to the nonprofit institution. The Motown founder has also contributed money and items to museum exhibits.
