Berry Gordy’s name will forever be remembered; not only for founding the storied Motown Records label 60 years ago, but the Detroit-born trailblazer now has an entire section of streets named after him in Hollywood.
On Monday, local government officials and Motown luminaries gathered for a special ceremony to dedicate the Los Angeles intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Argyle Avenue as “Berry Gordy Square,” in honor of the entrepreneur, songwriter, producer and founder of the music powerhouse.
On Twitter, Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell shared that naming the square after Gordy “is a fitting tribute to a man who made such lasting impressions on the music industry.”
The legendary record company, founded in 1959, is responsible for launching the careers of countless music legends, including Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Gladys Knight and Michael Jackson, among countless others.
Gordy joins other entertainment industry icons such as late comedian Bob Hope, late singer Ray Charles, and later Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, who have all previously been honored with a square in Hollywood.
“Berry Gordy Square” is located near the former Motown Records’ West Coast office (6255 Sunset Boulevard), where the music mogul presided after leaving the Motor City to expand his vision into television, film and publishing.
“As a kid growing up on the eastside of Detroit, Hollywood was an unattainable, mystical fantasy,” Gordy, 90, said during Monday’s ceremony, according to The Los Angeles Times. “But as Motown grew, our success made me realize that there was no limit to how far we could go. I wanted my artists to reach their full potential, so we came here to Hollywood.”
In addition to Robinson and Wonder, other special guests in attendance included Thelma Houston, Mickey Stevenson and diva dynamo Debbie Allen, who won an Emmy for her choreography on the legendary 1983 Motown 25 NBC television special.
According to Lee Bailey’s Electronic Urban Report, Gordy’s niece Karla Gordy Bristol and community activist Najee Ali spearheaded the efforts to have Gordy immortalized in Hollywood.