In 2006 the RRHOF partnered with three entertainment production companies to create a branch museum in New York City.
On November 18, 2008, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC opened in Manhattan's SoHo district.
Located at 76 Mercer Street just west of Broadway, the Annex occupied an underground space of 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²).
The branch museum operated in much the same way as its Cleveland parent, featuring archetypal display pieces like Prince's coat from Purple Rain, David Byrne's "big suit" from Stop Making Sense, and Elvis Presley's motorcycle jacket and his Bible.
But from its start the Annex also had a distinct New York area focus that made plenty of space for big items like the phone booth from CBGB, layered thick with band stickers over the decades; Bruce Springsteen's own 1957 Chevrolet; a special gallery reserved for the city's musicians; and an intricate 26-foot (7.9 m) scale model of Manhattan highlighting sites of rock history.

Jann Wenner served as chairman of the board of the Annex.
At its opening night gala, he inadvertently created a controversy after he told a reporter, "One of the small sad things is we didn't do it in New York in the first place."
He later expressed regret for his remark which he said had been misconstrued, and clarified that "I am absolutely delighted that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cleveland."

The Annex closed on January 3, 2010, its quick demise reportedly due to the global financial crisis of 2007–2008 and a subsequent downturn in the city's tourism.
The museum closed with a final major exhibition on John Lennon and his years in New York City.
In 2006 the RRHOF partnered with three entertainment production companies to create a branch museum in New York City. On November 18, 2008, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC opened in Manhattan's SoHo district. Located at 76 Mercer Street just west of Broadway, the Annex occupied an underground space of 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²). The branch museum operated in much the same way as its Cleveland parent, featuring archetypal display pieces like Prince's coat from Purple Rain, David Byrne's "big suit" from Stop Making Sense, and Elvis Presley's motorcycle jacket and his Bible. But from its start the Annex also had a distinct New York area focus that made plenty of space for big items like the phone booth from CBGB, layered thick with band stickers over the decades; Bruce Springsteen's own 1957 Chevrolet; a special gallery reserved for the city's musicians; and an intricate 26-foot (7.9 m) scale model of Manhattan highlighting sites of rock history.
Jann Wenner served as chairman of the board of the Annex. At its opening night gala, he inadvertently created a controversy after he told a reporter, "One of the small sad things is we didn't do it in New York in the first place." He later expressed regret for his remark which he said had been misconstrued, and clarified that "I am absolutely delighted that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cleveland."
The Annex closed on January 3, 2010, its quick demise reportedly due to the global financial crisis of 2007–2008 and a subsequent downturn in the city's tourism. The museum closed with a final major exhibition on John Lennon and his years in New York City.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame