SEATTLE — The following is a HistoryLink essay written by Walt Crowley on the opening of the Experience Music Project, now known as the Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP, at Seattle Center in 2000.
On June 23, 2000, the Experience Music Project opens at Seattle Center. The museum and education center occupies a flowing polychrome pavilion designed by Frank O. Gehry and inspired by Seattle-born rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970). Thousands attend a weekend of special events and concerts featuring national and local artists and bands and project founder Paul Allen (b. 1953). The name will be shortened to EMP and later, following several other permutations, changed to the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP).
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