Rock Hall lands $10 million gift and names new entrance the Haslam Atrium

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will name its new main entrance the Haslam Atrium after a $10 million gift from Dee and Jimmy Haslam. The museum confirmed the donation and the naming as part of its museum expansion project, Billboard reported on 17 September 2026. The money goes directly toward building work that is already well under way.

The Haslam Atrium will serve as the main public entryway to the expanded campus, the point where every visitor arrives. Inside, it will hold community stairs for gathering and seating, a reception area and a bar. Wide windows will give views across Lake Erie, putting the water in sight from the moment people step inside.

The addition measures 50,000 square feet, a large extension to the existing museum footprint. Work broke ground in October 2023. The museum said the new space was scheduled to open in fall 2026, WBIR reported, which would follow almost three years of construction.

Visitors will get more than a new door. The expansion includes a multipurpose space for concerts and events, giving the Hall more room to stage live performance on site. That includes a concert venue called Baker Hall and a student centre inside the museum, Spectrum News reported. Outside, community gardens will open up access to the lakefront, adding green space between the building and the water.

The Hall says the larger campus will allow more live music, educational engagement and public programming. In practice, that covers school visits, workshops, talks and performances that sit alongside the collection and displays. It is the part of a museum that most visitors never see on a label: classrooms, rehearsal sound and event floors.

Dee and Jimmy Haslam said they were honoured to help create a communal space for all visitors. They said that space was for everyone united by shared love and curiosity for music. The statement frames the atrium as a meeting place first, and an entrance second.

For fans planning a trip, this means the visit starts differently. You enter through a social space with seats, a bar and a lake view before you reach the exhibits. It is designed for lingering, not just queuing.

The museum listed a “First Look at the Rock Hall’s Expansion” event for 10 September 2026, according to its ticketing page, Rock Hall. The listing offered an early on-site look at the building work. That preview points to a final stretch where construction turns into rooms the public can actually use.