Motown Founder Berry Gordy Donates $4M To Museum Expansion
DETROIT (CBS DETROIT/ AP) — Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. is donating $4 million toward a project to expand the Motown Museum in Detroit.
The museum housed in the Detroit building is where Gordy built his music empire. It launched in 1959 and is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
"I'm excited about the future of Motown Museum and happy to support it," Gordy said in a release. "Not only will the expanded museum entertain and tell the stories of talented and creative people who succeeded against all odds, but it will also inspire and create opportunity for people to explore their dreams the way I did mine. I couldn't be prouder to be a part of that."
His gift is the largest individual donation to the project officially announced in 2016, the Motown Museum said. It has attracted contributions from individuals, philanthropies and automotive companies, including Gordy's long-ago employer Ford Motor Co. Gordy has long said the auto industry served as the inspiration for what would become an assembly line of record-making.
Museum expansion plans include interactive exhibits, a performance theater, recording studios, an expanded retail area and meeting spaces. Museum officials say they are not releasing fundraising totals.
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