EMP 15th Anniversary

On June 23, 2000, Paul Allen christened his pet project by smashing a glass replica Stratocaster guitar and proclaimed "Let the experience begin!"

About 700 guests paid $500 to $1,000 to attend a pre-opening fundraising event at the nonprofit museum.

"Really impressive," said Sheryl Crow, who performed an acoustic set at the event. "People can come and see not only the actual guitar and the actual outfit, but you can see old footage and I think it's really impactful."

"It's amazing - it's a shrine to rock 'n' roll," said Ann Wilson of Heart.

People lined up to get a look inside the museum. Most were mesmerized.

"There's no way to describe it in regular terms," said one woman. "There's nothing else you can compare it to."

"You can't describe it because everywhere you go it's different, there's nothing that's the same," said another. "Each place you go it's just a little bit different."

The main focus of the museum is rock 'n' roll, but it's meant to serve as a gateway museum, reaching multigenerational audiences through collections and award-winning exhibitions.

"I hope that people come away thinking that they could pick up a guitar and make their own music if they wanted to," Allen said in 2000.

The museum features the largest collections in the world of rare artifacts, hand-written lyrics, personal instruments, and original photographs celebrating the music and history of Seattle musicians, Nirvana, and legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

The highest point of the museum is the "Sky Church," which houses the largest indoor LED screen in the world. "Sky Church" was the late guitarist Jimi Hendrix's idea of a place where people could go to enjoy all types of music.

The spectacular "IF VI WAS IX" is a soaring guitar sculpture made up of more than 500 musical instruments and 30 computers created by Seattle-based sound sculptor, Trimpin.

The tornado-shaped sculpture is equipped with headphones so visitors can listen to the various musical arrangements.

In interactive galleries such as Sound Lab and On Stage, visitors can explore the tools of rock 'n' roll through myriad instruments and step into the spotlight to perform music before a virtual audience.

Exhibits cover pop culture, from the art of fantasy, horror cinema, and video games to science fiction literature and costumes from stage and screen.

The 140,000-square-foot EMP was designed by prominent architect Frank O. Gehry. Gehry said when he was designing the museum he was inspired to create a structure that evoked the rock 'n' roll experience. He purchased several electric guitars, sliced them into pieces, and used them as building blocks for an early model design.

Three-thousand panels, made up of 21,000 individually cut and shaped stainless steel and painted aluminum shingles, encase the outside of the building. Their individual finishes respond to different light conditions and appear to change when viewed from different angles.

Hoffman Construction used sophisticated 3D CAD and Building Information Modeling techniques to complete Gehry's vision - one of the most complex projects the company has ever completed.

Though some reviewers panned the "blob," no one can deny that the reflection of the Space Needle in EMP's stainless steel panels isn't eye catching.

Some of Gehry's other celebrated works include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Since opening its doors in 2000, EMP Museum has welcomed more than 6.5 million visitors and organized 47 exhibits, 17 of which have toured to major cultural institutions across the U.S. as well as internationally.

"Over the past decade and a half, EMP has evolved into an institution that reflects the interests and passions of our collective community," said Anita Woo with EMP. "Whether those interests are in music, science fiction, video games, animation, or other aspects of contemporary popular culture, EMP has become a nexus for creativity and innovation for people of all ages.

On Tuesday, EMP will hold a birthday bash, with free admission for Seattle residents. Visitors can take a tour of the building or listen to performances by Bleachbear, Champagne Babylon, Emma Lee Toyoda, Maiah Manser, Manatee Commune, and Otieno Terry.

There will also be special appearances by the Sea Gals, Harry Potter, R2D2, the Dalek, Blue Thunder, and Jet City Saber Guild.