Seattle’s Experience Music Project is an architectural masterpiece. The structure features 3,000 panels with 21,000 unique stainless steel and aluminum shingles. Renowned architect Frank Gehry designed this bold creation at Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen’s request in 2000. The building’s flowing metallic surfaces showcase vibrant red, blue, and gold colors. A smashed guitar – paying homage to Jimi Hendrix’s rebellious style – inspired this distinctive design.

The venue has transformed into the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) over the last several years. Its 140,000 square feet of space has welcomed millions of visitors through more than 100 exhibitions and programs. The building has become an iconic part of Seattle’s skyline. Among other treasures, visitors can explore collections of hand-written lyrics, instruments, photographs, and costumes. The venue’s crown jewel is Sky Church – an 800-person concert space with one of the world’s largest LED screens. Of course, the building’s unique design and cultural significance have made it Seattle’s most photographed structure, embodying the Pacific Northwest’s innovative spirit.

The Vision Behind the Experience Music Project

A groundbreaking cultural vision took shape in 1996 as Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen set out to create something unprecedented in the museum world. This wasn’t just another static collection behind glass—it became one of Seattle’s most distinctive landmarks.

Paul Allen’s dream of a music museum

Paul Allen’s vision for the Experience M1usic Project stemmed from his deep passion for creative expression and his admiration for Seattle-born guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. The tech billionaire aimed to build a unique institution that would celebrate creativity while promoting hands-on exploration. Allen and his sister Jody wanted to create a nonprofit museum that would break the traditional mold—a place where visitors could view artifacts and feel inspired to express themselves creatively.

“If museum visitors walk out the door feeling inspired to explore their own creativity—whether that be picking up a new instrument, taking a crack at writing the great American novel, or even learning how to play football—then we will have accomplished that goal,” Allen declared during the groundbreaking ceremony.

The ambitious project grew to house over 80,000 artifacts, including Hendrix’s signed contract for his Woodstock performance, Quincy Jones’ original trumpet from his Seattle days, and Kurt Cobain’s handwritten lyrics. Allen’s steadfast dedication to preserving music history while promoting new creative experiences reflected his unique viewpoint on state-of-the-art ideas—seeing creativity in unexpected places, from computer code to science fiction films to rock ‘n’ roll.

Choosing Frank Gehry as the architect

World-renowned architect Frank Gehry’s selection proved crucial to bringing Allen’s vision to life. Gehry approached the project with characteristic originality, known for his bold use of colors and unconventional shapes. Though his background leaned more toward classical music than rock, Gehry dove deep into the project’s essence.

Gehry bought several electric guitars after arriving in Seattle and methodically cut them into pieces to study their shapes, colors, and textures. This analytical approach inspired the building’s distinctive form—what many would later describe as resembling a “smashed electric guitar”. Gehry confirmed this comparison: “We started collecting pictures of Stratocasters, bringing in guitar bodies, drawing on those shapes in developing our ideas”.

The cooperative effort between Allen’s vision and Gehry’s distinctive architectural approach resulted in a 140,000 square foot structure that stood unique worldwide. The completed building in 2000 featured 3,300 unique structural assemblies clad in 21,000 metal sheets—with no two sheets or panel assemblies similar.

Why Seattle was the perfect location

The choice of Seattle as the Experience Music Project’s home carried deep meaning. The city held profound significance for Allen—a Seattle native and Microsoft co-founder—and for Jimi Hendrix, whose musical legacy Allen wanted to honor. Seattle’s rich musical heritage extended beyond Hendrix to include influential artists from Ray Charles to grunge pioneers like Nirvana.

The structure found its home at Seattle Center, right beneath the iconic Space Needle, among the city’s most recognizable landmarks. Its placement near the Seattle Center Monorail—which runs through the building—merged the museum with the city’s infrastructure and history. The Experience Music Project opened in June 2000 and became an integral part of the Pacific Northwest arts and culture community.

The Experience Music Project changed from Allen’s personal vision into a defining cultural institution that ended up becoming today’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) by honoring Seattle’s musical roots while challenging architectural boundaries.

Designing a Building That Looks Like Music

Frank Gehry’s architectural approach to the Experience Music Project surpassed traditional design. He created a structure that captures musical expression. The building became a three-dimensional showcase of rock and roll’s energy rather than just housing music artifacts.

The smashed guitar inspiration

Gehry started his creative process by taking apart the instrument that defined rock music. He bought several electric guitars and sliced them apart. These fragments became building blocks for his original models. This unique method paid tribute to Jimi Hendrix, who famously destroyed his Fender Stratocaster after performances. The 110,000-square-foot museum near Seattle’s Space Needle looks like a giant smashed guitar. It resembles Hendrix’s Stratocaster broken into pieces.

“When Frank O. Gehry began 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,” confirms the MoPOP’s official website.

Use of color and materials

The building’s exterior colors connect to iconic instruments that shaped rock history:

• Daphne Blue: Reminiscent of classic Fender Mustang guitars
• Les Paul Gold: Paying tribute to Gibson’s legendary goldtop models
• Fiery Red: Evoking the passion of classic red Stratocasters
• Purple Haze: An unmistakable nod to Hendrix’s signature song

Gehry created this visual symphony with 21,000 individual metal sheets that form 3,300 unique structural assemblies. No two sheets or panel assemblies look similar. The exterior combines Angel Hair stainless steel, red interference-coated stainless steel, and fluorocarbon-coated aluminum. Zahner, the manufacturer, called it “the most complex exterior skin ever devised for a building”.

The technical challenges led to state-of-the-art solutions. The Zahner team developed the Zahner Engineered Profiled Panel System (ZEPPS). This system “efficiently produces complex forms with minimal waste, reducing a building’s ecological footprint”.

How the building mimics sound and movement

The Experience Music Project Seattle brings music to life through its dynamic design. The building’s varying heights and rolling surfaces create a floating exterior that seems to move like dancers responding to rhythm. The structure’s flowing curves suggest sound waves moving through space.

The metal panels’ reflective surfaces improve this effect. They work like a massive mirror that captures and changes surrounding elements. The panels reflect pedestrians, nearby buildings, and Seattle’s changing skies. Each panel reacts differently to light changes. Like music itself, the building never looks exactly the same twice.

The sensory experience continues inside. The exposed structural elements let visitors feel music’s essence throughout the building. The Sky Church—the complex’s only straight-edged space—works as both an entrance and performance venue with computerized light shows and video images. Unlike the curved exterior, this space brings “Jimi Hendrix’s vision of a welcoming home for people of all varieties, a domestic embrace at once emotionally comforting and both visually and sonically exhilarating” to life.

What Makes the EMP So Photogenic

Photographers who visit the Experience Music Project face a tough choice: which of its endless angles should they shoot first? This architectural masterpiece has become Seattle’s most photographed building because you can’t capture its beauty in just one shot.

Unique angles from every side

The Experience Music Project Seattle looks completely different from each viewing spot. “Circling the exterior, not one single angle or view of the building is the same as another”. This mathematical wonder has three thousand panels made up of 21,000 individually cut and shaped stainless steel and aluminum shingles. Each shingle is unique—”like a snowflake”—and the structure seems to change shape as people walk around it.

The building’s flowing, wave-like shapes create constant motion that photographers can’t resist. When you walk around the Experience Music Project Museum, “colors change, the curves and shapes shift, the whole mood changes”. You can’t capture the building’s true nature in a single photo, so visitors end up taking shots from many different spots.

Reflective surfaces and changing light

The building’s exterior reacts to Seattle’s ever-changing weather in fascinating ways. “Each shingle responds to different light conditions”, creating a beautiful dance between architecture and environment. The reflective qualities appear softer under Seattle’s typical gray skies, but sunny days bring out dramatic new dimensions.

The museum’s exterior materials are “similarly varied, and include Angel Hair stainless steel, red interference-coated stainless steel and fluorocarbon-coated aluminum”. These materials play with natural light all day long, turning the Experience Music Project Seattle into what photographers often call “a fluid, moving masterpiece”.

Iconic location near the Space Needle

The Experience Music Project’s location makes it even more appealing to photographers. “The Frank Gehry-designed museum building is located on the campus of the Seattle Center, adjacent to the Space Needle and the Seattle Center Monorail, which runs through the building”. The contrast between Gehry’s flowing design and the Space Needle’s futuristic shape creates an amazing composition.

Photographers love to capture the colorful EMP building with the Space Needle from different spots, especially from Kerry Park in Queen Anne Hill. This view shows how the Experience Music Project in Seattle has become a key part of the city’s identity.

The museum sits right next to these famous landmarks, making it a star in countless skyline photos and a true Seattle icon. The Seattle Center Monorail runs right through the structure, giving photographers a unique shot where transport and architecture meet dramatically.

Public Reaction and Media Attention

Steel beams started rising at Seattle Center in 1999, and the Experience Music Project sparked heated debate among critics and locals alike. Frank Gehry’s unconventional design became an overnight sensation—though not always for flattering reasons.

Initial controversy and criticism

Seattle residents quickly pronounced the Experience Music Project “ugly” as construction began. Critics ruthlessly compared the building to “something that crawled out of the sea, rolled over, and died” and “a spaceship threw up”. Most people found the firetruck-red section with glass strips representing guitar frets hard to digest. Many skeptics saw the Experience Music Project Museum as just “a rich man’s vanity project” or “giant toy box”. They even questioned whether rock music belonged within museum walls.

How opinions moved over time

The Experience Music Project slowly gained admirers who appreciated its bold break from conventional architecture. Visitor numbers tell an interesting story. The museum nearly reached its projected 800,000 annual visitors at first, but numbers dropped to 433,000 by 2003 and rose to 661,164 by 2013 (after a 15% increase from the previous year). Locals began to see the building as a “three-dimensional Rorschach test” that shows different impressions based on one’s view. A Seattle Architecture Foundation volunteer noted, “Its presence just needs discussion”. The building ended up becoming what enthusiasts call a key part of the city’s cultural scene.

Role of social media in its popularity

The Seattle Experience Music Project’s progress from controversial structure to accepted landmark turned it into a photographic icon. The building’s photogenic qualities—those same unusual angles and reflective surfaces that first confused critics—made it perfect for sharing on digital platforms. More visitors wanted to capture and share their own views of what Jody Allen described as “a design that brought life to what EMP is all about: the creative process, the energy of self-expression”.

The EMP’s Role in Seattle’s Cultural Identity

Twenty years after opening its doors, the striking structure at Seattle Center has grown way beyond its original concept. It has become the life-blood of Seattle’s cultural world. A tribute to rock music has reshaped the scene into an institution that captures the creative spirit of the entire Pacific Northwest.

From music to pop culture: the MoPOP transition

The Experience Music Project Seattle went through a major change in 2016 when it became the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). This new identity showed how the institution had grown beyond music. It now includes film, science fiction, video games, and other elements of contemporary culture. The museum managed to keep its Hendrix collection as a centerpiece while appealing to new audiences.

This change was a smart move that let the museum bring together different approaches to creativity and new breakthroughs. The Experience Music Project Museum saw more visitors after expanding its mission “to make creative expression a life-changing force by offering experiences that inspire and connect our communities.”

Hosting iconic exhibits and events

The Experience Music Project in Seattle has featured groundbreaking exhibitions that draw visitors worldwide. Some standout exhibits include:

• The rich Jimi Hendrix collection with handwritten lyrics and personal instruments
• “Horror: Monsters, Movies and Mayhem” that shows horror’s effect on culture
• “Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction” displaying iconic artifacts from sci-fi classics

More than 100 exhibitions and programs have reached millions of people through the Seattle Experience Music Project. MoPOP now runs the Sound Off! competition for musicians under 21. This competition gives vital opportunities to rising talent.

A symbol of Seattle’s creative spirit

The Experience Music Project Seattle reflects the city’s creative nature and forward-thinking mindset. Yes, it is unusual architecture matches Seattle’s embrace of the unconventional. The museum stands among companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks as proof of the region’s entrepreneurial drive.

The Experience Music Project in Seattle shows how cultural institutions can stay relevant by adapting. What started as one billionaire’s tribute to his musical hero ended up as a symbol of Seattle itself—a place where creativity, technology, and culture meet in surprising ways.

The Experience Music Project’s rise from a controversial architectural experiment to a beloved cultural landmark proves what visionary thinking can achieve. Seattle’s unique character shines through this building where innovation meets artistic expression. Frank Gehry made bold design choices. His concept of a deconstructed guitar and vivid metallic panels created a structure impossible to forget or ignore.

The museum’s development from a music-focused venue to the detailed Museum of Pop Culture shows Seattle’s adaptability and forward-thinking spirit. The structure faced criticism at first, but its photogenic qualities made it irresistible to photographers and social media enthusiasts. Its strategic spot near the Space Needle has made it an essential part of Seattle’s iconic skyline.

This project represents more than just architecture – it embodies creative risk-taking. The building features 21,000 individual metal sheets, each with its own shape and color that mirror the variety of cultural expressions inside. People might disagree about its looks, but everyone agrees on one thing: you can’t ignore this building.

The Experience Music Project has surpassed its original purpose to become a defining symbol of Seattle. This structure shows how bold architectural vision and cultural purpose can reshape a city’s identity. Visitors who see this metallic marvel understand why it’s Seattle’s most photographed building. Like the creative expressions it celebrates, it dares to be different.

Here are some FAQs about experience music project:

What is the EMP called now?

The Experience Music Project is now called the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). This rebranding reflects its expanded focus beyond music to all aspects of popular culture. The Seattle Experience Music Project transformation occurred in 2016 to better represent its diverse exhibits on science fiction, video games, and other pop culture phenomena alongside its renowned music collections.

Why did EMP change its name?

The Experience Music Project Museum changed its name to broaden its appeal and scope beyond just music experiences. As the Experience Music Project Seattle evolved, it began incorporating more pop culture elements like horror films and indie games. The new MoPOP name better captures this expanded mission while maintaining its core music heritage and iconic Frank Gehry-designed building.

Is the EMP still in Seattle?

Yes, the institution now known as MoPOP remains at its original location in Seattle Center, where the Experience Music Project was first established. The striking Seattle Experience Music Project building, with its colorful, guitar-inspired architecture, continues to be a landmark attraction. Visitors can still enjoy its famous music exhibits alongside newer pop culture installations at this Seattle location.

Who is the founder of the Experience Music Project?

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen founded the Experience Music Project in 2000 as a tribute to his love of music, particularly Jimi Hendrix. The Experience Music Project Seattle was Allen’s passion project to celebrate creative expression across musical genres. His vision shaped what would later evolve into today’s Museum of Pop Culture while maintaining its musical roots.

Does the EMP exist?

While the name Experience Music Project no longer officially exists, the institution continues as MoPOP with much of its original musical focus intact. The Experience Music Project Museum building and many of its core music exhibits remain central to the visitor experience. Essentially, EMP lives on in spirit through MoPOP’s continued celebration of music history and innovation.

What is another name for the EMP?

The most common alternative name for the Experience Music Project is its current designation, the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). Some locals still refer to it by its original name or use nicknames like “the Seattle Experience Music Project.” The building itself is sometimes called “the Experience Music Project museum” in casual conversation despite the official rebranding.

What is the new name of EMP?

The new name for the Experience Music Project is the Museum of Pop Culture, officially abbreviated as MoPOP. This 2016 rebranding of the Experience Music Project Seattle reflects its expanded scope while honoring its musical origins. The change was designed to make the museum more inclusive of all pop culture forms while maintaining its iconic architecture and music heritage.

Where is the Jimi Hendrix museum?

The primary Jimi Hendrix exhibition is housed within the former Experience Music Project, now MoPOP, in Seattle. While not a standalone museum, the Seattle Experience Music Project contains the world’s most extensive collection of Hendrix memorabilia and artifacts. Seattle also features other Hendrix-related sites throughout the city where the legendary guitarist grew up.

Who was the architect of the museum of Pop Art?

The architect of the Experience Music Project Museum (now MoPOP) is Frank Gehry, the Pritzker Prize-winning designer known for his deconstructivist style. Gehry’s visionary design for the Seattle Experience Music Project was inspired by smashed guitars and features his signature undulating metal forms. This iconic building has become one of Seattle’s most photographed architectural landmarks since its 2000 opening.