Handel Hendrix House Facebook Photo
The onetime London home of Jimi Hendrix will become a permanent museum dedicated to the psychedelic blues guitar legend. Located at 23 Brook Street in the Mayfair district of West London, the flat will open on February 10, 2016, with entry ticket sales starting up on November 10th.
The BBC reports that £2.4m was spent restoring and refurbishing the apartment, which was bought by Jimi Hendrix in the spring of 1968. On display will be rare images of the guitarist, and the flat's living room has been restored to what it likely looked like at the time. "We hope that the opening of Jimi Hendrix's flat will give people an added insight into the life and work of a figure whose actions have been examined no end since his death in 1970," chairman of the Handel House TrustAlistair Stranack told the BBC. "While it has been a pleasure to have been working in Jimi's bedroom for the past few years, it is even more pleasing to be able to throw it open to everybody else." The house is located near the one-time-resident of another musical legend: George Frideric Handel, and Hendrix became fascinated by the composer's work as he came to feel increasingly at ease on Brook Street.
Speaking directly to Okayplayer, Jimi's sister Janie Hendrix voiced her support for the new museum. "There has always been a certain amount of curiosity about where and how Jimi lived during the time he was taking London by storm," Hendrix said. "I think opening the home to the public is an interesting way of memorializing him and it will give the true Jimi enthusiasts an opportunity to share a very private part of his life.”
The new Hendrix museum will also house a modern recording studio, which will be used to teach students and also function as a concert venue. "Living at 23 Brook Street fuelled Hendrix's creativity," the BBC stressed, "and led to many hours of writing and visits from fellow musicians led to countless jam sessions."
Tickets for the Hendrix house can be purchased here as early as November 10th.
