James Brown had made his debut at the venue, and his friend Al Sharpton said the queues outside were "his greatest thrill".
James Brown's public funeral is scheduled to be held on Saturday at 1300 local time (1800 GMT) in a 8,500-seat arena bearing his name and the ceremony is expected to draw a large number of celebrities from the entertainment industry.
Besides the public ceremony, a separate, private service for family and friends will be held a day earlier, on Friday, at an unspecified location.
James Brown died early on Monday from heart failure, less than 48 hours after being admitted into hospital with pneumonia and he also had diabetes and prostate cancer, which was in remission.
Movie director Spike Lee is to make a film about James Brown, Variety reported, and he approved the use of his music on the soundtrack.
