We Just Got An Exciting Update On Gibson Hard Rock Hotel in Kalamazoo

We were starting to wonder if it would ever actually happen.

Which is a shame because there's so much rock and roll history in Michigan that needs to be celebrated and preserved.

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Not only do we have Motown in Detroit, but did you know Fender guitars once manufactured their own guitar strings at the V.C. Squire factory in Battle Creek, MI. I mean, how do you think the Fender's line of Squire guitars got their name?

Of course Kalamazoo, Michigan is famous in its own right for the iconic Gibson guitar factory, founded by Orville Gibson in 1902.

Legend has it such Gibson die-hards such as Elvis, Ronnie Woods, and Keith Richards even visited the factory in Kalamazoo to pay homage to Gibson and their role in rock and roll history.

So, how can such a fundamental piece of music history be left to crumble and decay in Kalamazoo's north side neighborhood? It's a travesty!

For a time there was a volunteer group attempting to restore the Gibson smokestack and then there were big plans to create a Hard Rock Hotel at the former Gibson site, but then the economy changed and the pandemic happened and plans sadly seemed to stall.

However, we were just given an exciting update about the status of the Gibson Hard Rock Hotel and you'll be pleased to know it's still a go! 

MLive did some digging into the status of the project, which plans to move forward, albeit behind schedule:

Residents have questioned the likelihood of the project, not only because it’s behind on the original timeline, but also because of mixed signals from Hard Rock...A $65 million renovation would transform the factory into a 125-room hotel and full-service restaurant.

According to MLive the only details Trisha Kidd, director of project management at PlazaCorp, was willing to confirm was that the developer is still working on the project behind the scenes. As far as a timeline? The details are still being finalized.

So it's not exactly good news, but it's not bad news either. It's great to at least know something because we've all been wondering! Read the entire MLive article here.