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Bruce Springsteen’s American Music Center Opens in New Jersey
The American Music Center named after Bruce Springsteen is opening on the Monmouth University campus. The $50 million facility houses the artist’s archives and aims to tell the broad story of American popular music.
The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music is opening in New Jersey. Located on the Monmouth University campus, the 32,000-square-foot facility not only houses the artist’s archives but also aims to showcase the scope of American popular music.
The center’s opening is scheduled for June 13. The project, launched in 2023, cost approximately $50 million. Situated in West Long Branch, the center symbolically returns to the Long Branch shoreline where Springsteen wrote "Born to Run" in 1974.
The Center Tells a Music Story Rather Than Serving as a Monument
Founding director Bob Santelli said Springsteen did not want the center to be established as a monument that highlights only himself. According to Santelli, the artist wanted the center to position him as "just one part of the ongoing story of American music."
This approach aligns the center with examples like the Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center. While preserving Springsteen’s legacy, the facility also highlights the diversity of popular music in America.
The First Floor Offers a Broad Panorama of American Music
Visitors are greeted at the entrance by a 241-seat screening area. Here, a 25-minute opening film directed by Thom Zimny will be shown, tracing Springsteen’s impact on American music.
The main gallery features objects representing different eras and artists. Among them are Frank Sinatra’s shoes, a letter Buddy Holly wrote to his mother, Beastie Boys memorabilia, and a costume belonging to Lady Gaga.
The space focuses not only on artists but also on themes in music. Sections organized around art, gender, and technology include listening booths where visitors can select jazz, hip hop, blues, and folk music.
The center also includes a section dedicated to temporary exhibitions. The opening exhibit, titled "Chimes of Freedom: Protest, Politics, and the Power of Song," explores the relationship between music and social awareness in American history.
This exhibit features guitars, costumes, and lyrics from artists like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. At the end of the exhibit is Springsteen’s anti-ICE protest song "Streets of Minneapolis."
Springsteen’s Personal Archive is Housed on the Second Floor
The second floor contains a replica of the artist’s workspace. It displays his books, knife collection, and donated furniture; the large central coffee table offers interactive projections allowing visitors to explore reading materials.
Showcases include handwritten lyrics, clothing, clippings, and records. The jacket from the "Born to Run" album cover and equipment used in the Nebraska recording are also exhibited here.
Another section is dedicated to members of the E Street Band. Springsteen photographs from the collection of Philadelphia-based lawyer Robert Mongeluzzi are also displayed in this area.
The most important part of the center is Springsteen’s archives and the previously held Bruce Springsteen Special Collection at Monmouth University. Researchers can access these materials by appointment.
Officials expect this fully operational archive center to strengthen academic research on American music and Springsteen. It is also intended to enhance the university’s research profile.
Santelli said the center holds personal and professional significance for New Jersey, the region, and the university. He also noted that Springsteen rejected proposals to move his legacy outside the state.
It is also recalled that Springsteen’s handwritten lyrics for "Born to Run," written in the 1970s, were sold for $197,000 at Sotheby’s in 2013. The center opens at 400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch.
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