A prized collection of rare music memorabilia will have a new home next year when the Texas Musicians Museum relocates to downtown Irving.
If Texas Musicians Museum Curator Tom Kreason has his way, music enthusiasts from across the globe will flock to Irving for an up-close look at rare collectors items, such as the world’s largest Eric Clapton guitar and Buddy Holley’s very first autograph. This mecca of music memorabilia will make its way to Irving after being housed in the 2,500-square-foot ballroom of a hotel in Waxahachie, Texas. The museum and all of its history will soon fill roughly an 8,500 square-foot building at a prime location located in historic downtown Irving on Irving Boulevard. With more space, Kreason’s plans for the museum’s Irving debut include a café, outdoor music garden and showroom.
The building will be owned by the city; however, the museum will generate its own revenue from daily sales and hosting private events like weddings and corporate parties. As part of a five-year lease on the building, the city will take the lead on building renovations. The planned renovations will ensure the edifice is up-to-date, and be ready to house the prized collection of pieces from Texas’ music history.
The vision for Texas Musicians Museum dovetails nicely with the ongoing goal of making downtown Irving a regional destination. City officials see the investment into the museum as a catalyst to future development, and they are optimistic more music-related businesses will flock to the area.
“The love for Texas music is not just here, it’s felt all over the world — we’ve had visitors from Russia, Bali and Spain,” said Kreason. “Bringing the museum to downtown Irving will stimulate tourism and could stimulate a lot of development projects ranging from restaurants to music schools and other music-related businesses.”
Per the agreement, the museum will host live outdoor public music events. The live events will bring thousands of music enthusiasts to Irving, and could result in the direct and indirect employment of up to 150 people. Renovations will begin by December and are expected to be completed mid-2015.
