A Look Inside Motown’s Famous Hitsville U.S.A.
Motown Records is one of the most iconic record labels in music history. Founded by Berry Gordy in 1959, the label became one of the country’s most successful Black-owned businesses. Icons such as Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5, just to name a few, made countless hits at the label’s first headquarters, Hitsville U.S.A. Now, Motown’s original HQ is being renovated thanks to a $1 million donation from The Links Inc., a social organization of over than 15,000 prominent Black women leaders, including Kamala Harris and Condoleezza Rice. This major gift helps support the museum’s decade-long expansion project.
As we wait with bated breath for the expanded museum to open in the summer of 2027, we’re taking a look inside Hitsville U.S.A. and the fascinating exhibitions the museum already has to offer.
Berry Gordy Boulevard
Before you even reach Hitsville U.S.A., you will know you’re nearby by seeing the Berry Gordy Jr. Boulevard street sign. According to the Detroit real estate firm the Perna Team, the street was given the secondary name in 2007 to honor the legendary Motown founder, who gave so many Black icons the recording space they deserved.
The Outside of the Museum
The museum itself is hard to miss. Painted with blue doors and a huge Hitsville U.S.A. sign on the front, it’s an exciting welcome to museum visitors, who can immediately imagine icons like Marvin Gaye walking through its doors to make music magic.
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Studio A Control Room
Once you get inside Studio A, you’ll see everything left as it was originally. From worn-out wooden floors where musicians were no doubt tapping their feet to hit records to a control room that has a schedule of artist recording sessions lined up on its chalkboard.
Grand Piano In Studio A
The grand piano in Studio A first got to Motown in 1967 and was used by artists such as Stevie Wonder. It was restored in 2012 by iconic Beatles member Paul McCartney, who donated funds to repair it after a 2011 visit to the museum. Now it stands as it once did in the 1960s, ready to play some catchy tunes.
Gold Records
Walking around Hitsville U.S.A. means you’ll also get to see the first gold plaque the recording studio ever earned, which was Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ 1961 track “Shop Around.”
Staff Time Clock
You can imagine the daily life of staff at Hitsville U.S.A. by taking a look at their punch cards kept right beside the studio’s original time clock.
Sheet Music for “My Girl”
As you walk through the museum, you’ll see that many aspects of the studio have been maintained in their original state. The sheet music for the Temptations’ hit song “My Girl” remains on one of the music stands, just as it was when it was recorded.
Secretary’s Desk
The secretary at Hitsville U.S.A. had one of the busiest jobs in the studio, with three phones and a typewriter on her desk – the first stop for hundreds of iconic musicians who walked through the door.
Microphone Wires in Studio A
The microphone wires used by artists to record their songs still hang in Studio A today. Although they’re no longer in use, we can imagine this equipment being used to record songs that remain on folks’ playlists today.
The Entrance to Berry Gordy’s Apartment
The first floor of Hitsville U.S.A. was the recording studio, but once you head upstairs, you enter Berry Gordy’s former apartment. Just like the downstairs of the museum, Gordy’s apartment is maintained in its original state.
Candy Machine
If staff and musicians needed a little bit of energy to keep them going, there was a vending machine stocked with candy inside the studio.
Living Area
Gordy’s apartment isn’t grand, but it was still a nice space with a television set in one corner and a comfy floral-patterned chair.
More of Berry Gordy’s Apartment
Further into Berry Gordy’s apartment is an orange leather couch, which sits in front of a playpen for his children.
Packaged Vinyls and Old Newspapers
In the dining area, instead of plates and cookware, you’ll find vinyl records being packaged and old editions of the Billboard newspaper, no doubt to check what was at the top of the charts.
The Other Departments for Hitsville
As Hitsville U.S.A. became more successful, Gordy couldn’t keep his whole operation in a two-story apartment anymore. He bought multiple houses on the same street to serve as different departments, such as publishing, finance, and administration.
The Former Finishing School for Artists
Another house on the block was designated as Motown’s finishing school. It was created to teach artists how to dance and conduct themselves in public. This was a unique aspect of Motown, as other record studios were not doing the same, giving the artists who attended the school that extra professional edge, according to the performing arts center, the Smith Center.
