The house that rock built celebrates 15 years with a redesign of exhibit galleries and new library

CLEVELAND - Bright sunshine glinted off the glass canopy of the brand new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum fifteen years ago today, as a crowd of dignitaries and thousands of onlookers dedicated the spectacular realization of Cleveland's hard won victory as the official home of rock and roll.

I was there on that morning, one of the happiest days I've seen during my years in Cleveland. Mayor Mike White was ebullient, joined by Governor George Voinovich, Yoko Ono, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner and others bearing high spirits and hopes, cutting the ribbon on a new era.

Petitions, polls and lobbying had secured Cleveland the Rock Hall site in 1986. Seven years of pulling the money together from private and public sources followed as the cost of the project climbed.  Finally, in 1993, ground was broken on the $93 million I.M. Pei designed structure at North Coast Harbor.

Today, the non-profit Rock Hall finds itself in a rock solid financial position. It has welcomed more than eight million visitors, and estimates a near $2 billion economic impact in the region. CEO and Museum Director Terry Stewart told me "it's remarkable what has happened in 15 years. Early studies said we'd have a financial impact of $10 million a year. It's $110 million a year. So we're almost at $2 billion on a $100 million investment. So everybody should be proud. It's something the whole city, to some extent the state, got behind. Everybody was a little skeptical, but the payoff and return on investment has been remarkable."

The relationship between the Cleveland Rock Hall Board of Trustees and the New York Rock Hall Foundation Board, which jointly run the museum, has also grown. In just the past five years, the New York foundation has contributed more than $13 million to the museum.  And last week a $5 million endowment was established by the New York board, to help the Rock Hall remain at the top of its game.

There is also little question that across the country and around the world, the Rock Hall has become synonymous with Cleveland. People know it's here - they know "Cleveland Rocks." (Ian Hunter had that right long before Rock Hall dreams were born.) This is certainly due in part to the visionary leadership for the Rock Hall's education mission. Working with teachers and students - not just here, but in nearly every state and many foreign countries - the Rock Hall has created a unique connection, using music to inspire learning in core academic subjects.  It's Internet distance learning program has been voted number one by educators five years running.

The desire to add depth to the potential for scholarly study and research has led to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Library and Archives in the Center for Creative Arts on the campus of Cuyahoga Community College.  On the drawing board for years, the library will open next May. It will be the world's most comprehensive repository of written and audiovisual materials related to the history of rock and roll.

The Rock Hall is also beginning a redesign of exhibit space, primarily in the Ahmet Ertegun Exhibit Hall. In addition to updating technology, lighting and space design, the primary goal is to tell the story of rock and roll in a more chronological fashion. Helping visitors get the most out of their museum experience with better traffic flow and interior direction is also part of the plan.

Fifteen years hasn't changed the iconic look of the Cleveland museum. It's sits like a diamond, refracting our individual feelings about music and how it has impacted our lives. But just like music, the Rock Hall is on a continuing journey to embrace rock's deep history and the evolution of the music it celebrates.