Bruce Springsteen Archives at Monmouth University to expand; includes 230-seat theater

This building is born to educate.

The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music announced on Wednesday, Oct. 18, that a new center on the campus of Monmouth University will house the archives and include exhibition galleries and a 230-seat theater.

The announcement brought politicians, celebs and Springsteen himself to the Great Hall on the university’s West Long Branch campus.

“I think a building with your name on it is a tricky thing,” Springsteen said. “Because I’m still alive … I could get arrested for shooting tequilas in a public park. That’s something that could happen.”

The Boss was arrested for for DWI on Sandy Hook in 2020, but the charges were later dismissed.

“All I can say is I will try do my best to do nothing for the rest of my life to embarrass a building,” said Springsteen to laughs.

While he wasn't a student, Springsteen has roots at Monmouth University and the immediate area. He was born at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, and he wrote the album “Born to Run” a few blocks away from campus in a bungalow at 7½ West End Court in the West End section of Long Branch.

His pre-E Street band Steel Mill performed on the campus of the formerly named Monmouth College on the steps of the Great Hall, the filming location of the1982 film "Annie."

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“I want to say how happy I am that my archives are going to have a home here in New Jersey, that means a lot of me,” Springsteen said. “Believe it or not there are people who come from around the world for their vacations or pilgrimages to spend their hard-earned dollars in Asbury Park, or Freehold in search of from whence I hailed, and now they will have someplace to go other than my house.”

Springsteen, 74, appeared fit and tan at the Monmouth University event. Last month he postponed E Street Band shows for the rest of the year as he recovers from a bout with peptic ulcer disease.

“At 19, I played on these very steps out here and to stand here today is quite humbling knowing I'm going to be a presence here on this campus, which I really look forward to being,” Springsteen said. “It's deeply satisfying. I look forward to working with everyone to make this building and this endeavor a great success.”

Where is the new Springsteen building?

The 30,000-square-foot building will be located on the corner of Cedar and Norwood avenues on campus. A campaign to raise $45 million for the building’s construction is two-thirds accomplished, said university president Patrick Leahy.

The two-story building, depicted in natural wood tones on slides shown at the conference, will have a boardwalk platform walkway to its entrance. The new archives home will offer visitors the chance to listen to oral histories and interviews, watch rare film footage, and explore major moments in music history.

There will also be intimate concerts, teacher workshops, symposia, lectures, film series, and other public and educational programs, said Robert Santelli, the executive director of the archives.

Inside, there will be “the story of American music that is relevant to high school and middle school kids,” said Santelli.

“In 1969, I was a skinny 17-year-old freshman and we had freshman orientation and a band called Steel Mill was our freshman orientation entertainment,” said Robert Santelli, Class of 1973, and the director of the Springsteen Archives.

The building is designed by New York-based COOKFOX. The anticipated opening is spring of 2026.

“I heard about them doing things with the archives and I can't believe the scale in which it's going to be constructed, it looks like it's going to be so incredible and such a great resource for students and local musicians,” said senior Elena Worton, 21, of Tinton Falls. “I know I'm coming back. I'm already making mental plans for the spring of '26.”

Attendees on Wednesday included Long Branch mayor John Pallone, state Sen. Vin Gopal, Springsteen manger Jon Landau, former Springsteen manager Carl West, former E Street Band member Vini Lopez, and photographers Danny Clinch and Frank Stefanko.

“I hope this announcement will provide an uplifting moment during a time of global conflict,” said Eileen Chapman from the podium at the beginning of the event.

The Springsteen Archives is also teaming with Freehold for the creation of My Hometown: The Bruce Springsteen Story Center in the borough's downtown. The center will be in the firehouse on Main Street in Freehold, renovated to present the Springsteen story and serve as a community hub.

What is the Springsteen Archives?

The Springsteen Archives, currently located in a house on campus, preserves and promotes the legacy of Springsteen and his role in American music, while honoring and celebrating American greats like Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra and more.

There are more than 37,000 items from 47 countries, ranging from books and concert memorabilia to articles and promotional materials. It serves the research and informational needs of music fans, scholars and authors from around the world.

Archives programs range from live events, like the Hip-Hop in the Round show at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County in Asbury Park, part of the North To Shore festival in June, to the “What's Up on E Street” video series hosted by Santelli and posted during the COVID-19 lockdown.

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Springsteen and Monmouth University, an affiliate of the Grammy Museum, announced the creation of Springsteen Archives during the “A Conversation with Bruce Springsteen” at the university’s Pollak Theatre in 2017.

Many items in the collection were on loan to the university prior to 2017 by the Friends of the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection Inc., a not-for-profit group of Springsteen fans and writers, including Bob Crane, Christopher Phillips, Melanie Paggioli and Kevin Farrell.

The collection was originally housed in the Asbury Park Public Library, and then moved to Monmouth University in 2011 after the library deeded their portion of the collection.

Visit springsteenarchives.org for more information.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen Archives at Monmouth University announces expansion