Rock & Roll Hall Closes Tomorrow; Lennon Exhibit Not to Be Missed

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's New York City annex announced in December that it would be closing its doors for good tomorrow evening, a little more than a year after opening at 76 Mercer Street, between Spring and Broome. I decided to take a tour of the museum earlier this week, and when I asked some friends to join me, not a one even knew the annex existed. That is a problem that could lead to a museum closing. Or maybe it is a combination of the poor economy and a $26.50 ticket price.

If you into memorabilia, like Elvis's jumpsuit or Bruce Springsteen's first car, the museum has its fair share to offer. However, the highlight for me was the featured exhibit "John Lennon: The New York City Years," which explores Lennon’s love for New York, and its influences on his art, his life, and ultimately his death. As a Lennon admirer who is too young to have fully absorbed his post-Beatles life and career, the exhibit is an eye-opener in many ways, capturing his artistic endeavors alongside his efforts at political and social activism. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

As one of the biggest figures in the world, he used New York City as both a place to escape and a pulpit from which to call attention to his causes. And appropriately, the exhibit ends with a striking item that focuses on a cause which has become extremely important to Lennon's widow Yoko Ono since his death - gun control. The item is a small canvas bag from New York’s St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, and it’s wrapped in plastic. It contains the clothing Lennon was wearing the night he was murdered. Alongside the bag is a photo Ono snapped of Lennon’s blood-soaked glasses and a message that more than 932,000 people have died as a result of gun violence since Lennon's murder.

The annex is open 1 hour extra today until 10 pm (last admission at 9pm). For information call 646.786.6680