October 19, 2023
Provided Image/Monmouth University
Monmouth University will construct a new building to host Bruce Springsteen's personal archives. A rendering of the building is shown above; the project is expected to be finished in 2026.
Archives of Bruce Springsteen's legendary music career will be housed in a new building on Monmouth University's campus.
On Wednesday, plans for a new 30,000-square-foot facility were announced by the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University. The space will house the musician's personal collection of songbooks, writings, photographs and other artifacts, as well as exhibition galleries, a 230-seat theater and the Center for American Music, which documents the history of music in America.
The school hopes to raise $45 million for the project and to open the new building on its West Long Branch, New Jersey campus in spring 2026. Currently, the archives can be accessed by scheduling an appointment at the university.
Monmouth holds special significance to the singer, who is from Freehold, a borough of Monmouth County. The school is not far from where Springsteen penned his "Born to Run" album nearly five decades ago.
"I think a building with your name on it is a tricky thing," Springsteen said at a press conference at the university. "I could get arrested for shooting tequilas in a public park. That's something that could happen. All I can say is I will try to do my best to do nothing for the rest of my life to embarrass a building."
Springsteen faced drunk driving charges after drinking tequila with a fan in Sandy Hook in 2020, but they were dismissed after he agreed to pay a fine.
The Bruce Springsteen Archives is the official repository for Springsteen's songs, writings, photographs, recordings and other relics related to him and the E Street Band. The Center for American Music will host concerts, teacher workshops, symposiums, lectures and films. The new building also will house listening booths, outdoor gathering areas and a gift shop.
Freehold is partnering with the Springsteen Archives to establish "My Hometown: The Bruce Springsteen Story Center" in a renovated firehouse on Main Street. The exhibit will showcase Springsteen's career and function as a community gathering space. It is expected to open next year.
In April, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared Sept. 23, the Boss' birthday, as Bruce Springsteen Day to honor the musician's cultural and artistic contributions.
