Construction is scheduled to begin next month on an expansion of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, designed to play off architect I.M. Pei’s original design that includes glass pyramids.

Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, also known as PAU, designed the $135 million annex with an exterior cladding of black steel and granite. The expansion features a new public plaza, entry lobby, performance space, classroom and event venue. It will almost double the museum's size to 90,000 square feet. The Hall of Fame has inducted 365 members since its creation in 1986.

The museum, a major tourist draw in downtown Cleveland situated on Lake Erie, opened in 1995 and was followed by a string of commercial developments. Several hotels are within walking distance of the museum, including the Roost Apartment Hotel, which opened in March 2022. Nearby developments under construction include the Fidelity Hotel and paint and coating giant Sherwin-Williams' 1 million-square-foot headquarters.

PAU said its architects attempted to create a structure that naturally connects with Pei’s design.

“Instead of creating a wholly separate object,” PAU said in its description of the project, the design “brings new life and dimension to Pei’s original pyramid as well as the larger site.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s next induction ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Inductees include Kate Bush, Missy Elliott and George Michael.

PAU is the lead architect. Robert P. Madison International is the architect of record. The firm Cooper Robertson is the associate architect. James Corner Field Operations is the landscape architect. LERA is the structural engineer.