After numerous attempts over the years, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame is finally receiving a brick-and-mortar home and a new name.
The museum has just signed a lease for its first building at the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) in Stony Brook Village and will officially start moving into the building on July 1. Over the summer, much work will be done in terms of constructing the hall in time for its grand opening in November.
“This will be a great addition to Long Island and come November when it is officially open to the public, it should become a staple tourist attraction,” says Ernie Canadeo, the president and CEO of the EGC Group, one of Long Island’s largest advertising agencies. “We are so thrilled that all of the rich music history of Long Island will have a permanent home that people can come and experience.”
Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame is now known as the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. It has been a long time coming for a permanent area to be established for the music hall. The public will now get ample opportunities to learn about the history and culture of Long Island all year round, rather than only during the limited dates that have been offered in years past.
Before receiving a permanent building, the music hall was a mobile attraction – a museum-on-wheels in a tour bus. “This was our best start at maintaining a physical presence for the hall while we worked on getting a permanent building,” says Kevin O’Callaghan, the creative director of the hall.
The permanent music hall of fame will include plaques honoring more than 100 inductees including Louis Armstrong, Mariah Carey, and Aaron Copland. It will also boast areas for a library, classrooms, and a theater. The exhibition hall will have rotating exhibits, the first being “Long Island’s Legendary Club Scene: 1960’s-1980’s,” which is currently being designed by O’Callaghan.
More information is available at limusichalloffame.org
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