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September 12, 2011

Link

Plans are in motion for Aretha Franklin's childhood home at 406 Lucy Street in Memphis to become a museum dedicated to the legendary singer. The plans call for the original home, which was ravaged by fire in 2009, to be rebuilt and restored with an interactive museum built around it.

"My neighborhood needs something to bring their spirits up," said Vera Lee House, current owner of the property. "[Aretha's] the queen of soul not just in Memphis and Detroit but all over the world; we think she is due the respect."

House was planning on making the home a tourist destination before the fire, but now three years later a group called the RESPECT Foundation is stepping in to help.

"We're going to refurbish the property, refurbish the house, leave it where it is and build an interactive museum around the property," Herb Jackson of the Foundation said. "She was born in the house; we have the original bath tub that was probably used by Aretha Franklin, all of these things will be on display once we get this museum up and running."

No completion date has been set, though developers are aiming for Franklin's 71st birthday in spring of 2013.

we have the original bath tub that was probably used by Aretha Franklin,

Besides Graceland, is there precedent for one of these things being successful? I know Will Rogers had one but that folded a few years back when the economy went south. Heck, Debbie Reynolds had one of the largest collections of Hollywood artifacts and she was never able to find the funding to open her dream museum.