COOKFOX has announced plans for a new musical archive and education center dedicated to preserving Bruce Springsteen’s legacy on the campus of Monmouth University in New Jersey.

The new Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music (BSACAM) will be realized as a 29,000-square-foot repository of The Boss’s five-decade catalog and includes a space for a 230-seat theater, exhibition galleries, and study center dedicated as a showcase of musical traditions in the country he has so influenced through song.

The project is said to be located not far from where Springsteen penned the lyrics to his breakthrough 1974 album, Born to Run.

An homage to Springsteen’s post-industrial ethos is represented by the architect’s material choices for the building, which is comprised of weathering steel, concrete, and timber elements. Visitors will enter the rectangular two-story single volume through a central access path built to resemble the iconic Jersey Shore boardwalks enshrined in 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy). The date of September 9, 1956, marks this entry, referring to Elvis Presley’s first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show to which Springsteen credits his inspiration.

Once inside, visitors will have access to troves of documents related to Springsteen and his many other musical influences. COOKFOX says their design will connect to his legacy both emotionally and physically while serving as a “powerful marker of memory.” 

A pair of galleries anchors the lower floor of the structure, one of which is reserved for rotating exhibitions taken from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Space on the upper floors will be dedicated to the life and music of Springsteen and his E Street Band, with the theater placed to the left of the entry hall. State-of-the-art storage facilities with climate controls are also included in the Center’s program to provide long-term security for all its archival materials. The school says, finally, it will help enhance its academic offerings, adding that it will also serve as a resource for K-12 educators throughout the region. 

A $45 million capital campaign is now underway to construct the building, which is expected for spring 2026.