Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music Opens in New Jersey
The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, a $50 million, 32,000-square-foot building designed by Cookfox Architects, opens June 13 on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. The center is not a monument to Springsteen but positions him as a chapter in the broader story of American music, according to founding executive director Bob Santelli. It houses Springsteen's archives and the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection, previously at Monmouth University, alongside artifacts from other musicians like Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly, and Lady Gaga. The first floor features a 241-seat soundstage with a film by Thom Zimny, a main gallery with rotating exhibits, and a temporary gallery opening with "Chimes of Freedom: Protest, Politics, and the Power of Song." The second floor includes a recreation of Springsteen's writing room, vitrines with his memorabilia, and archival research facilities. Santelli noted that the Smithsonian had courted him to acquire Springsteen's collection, but he refused to let it leave New Jersey.
Key facts
- The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music opens June 13 at 400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch, New Jersey.
- The $50 million, 32,000-square-foot building is on the campus of Monmouth University.
- Designed by New York-based Cookfox Architects, the structure is clad in weathered steel.
- Founding executive director Bob Santelli said Springsteen insisted the center position him as 'just a chapter in the ongoing story of American music.'
- The center houses Springsteen's archives and the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection.
- The first floor includes a 241-seat soundstage, a main gallery with artifacts from Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly, Beastie Boys, and Lady Gaga, and a temporary gallery with the inaugural show 'Chimes of Freedom.'
- The second floor features a recreation of Springsteen's writing room, vitrines with his memorabilia, and archival research facilities.
- Santelli refused to let Springsteen's collection go to the Smithsonian, saying, 'I'm not going to be the one that gets Bruce’s legacy out of New Jersey.'
Entities
Artists
- Bruce Springsteen
- Frank Sinatra
- Buddy Holly
- Lady Gaga
- Bob Dylan
- Joni Mitchell
- Thom Zimny
- Rick Cook
- Bob Santelli
- Zach Craun
- Ameena Walker
- John Coltrane
- George Clinton
- Louis Armstrong
- Johnny Cash
- Woody Guthrie
- Michael Gould Jr.
- Michael Gould
- Sonja Anderson
Institutions
- Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music
- Monmouth University
- Cookfox Architects
- Woody Guthrie Center
- Bob Dylan Center
- Smithsonian
- E Street Band
- Sotheby's
- COOKFOX Architects
- C&G Partners
- LaGuardia Design Group
- Cookfox
- New York Times
- Asbury Park Press
- Artnet
- PBS News
- Smithsonian magazine
- Asbury Park Public Library
- CookFox Architects
- Torcon
- Pure Project Management
- Dissimilar Metal Design
- Timberlab
- Dagher Engineering
- DeSimone Consulting Engineering
- Langan
- French & Parrello Associates
- C&G
- ONELux
- Design2147
- Longman Lindsey now Trinity Consultants
- Harvey Marshall Berling Associates
- Long Green Specs
- KMA Architecture + Accessibility
- Dezeen
Locations
- Long Branch
- New Jersey
- United States
- West Long Branch
- Tulsa
- Oklahoma
- Freehold
- Asbury Park
- Jersey Shore
- Meadowlands
- Monmouth University
- New York