DETROIT – Dan Gilbert offered an update on the fate of an iconic building in Detroit.
Built in 1977, the Renaissance Center, or RenCen, is Michigan’s tallest building at 727 feet. It is an iconic part of the Detroit skyline, but there has been some speculation that it will be demolished.
In April, General Motors announced that it would be moving its global headquarters from the Renaissance Center to Hudson’s Detroit in 2025.
GM entered into a 15-year, multi-level lease for the top office floors, as well as showcase space on the street level for GM vehicles and community activations. The company will the anchor tenant at Bedrock’s development on the historic site of the former J.L. Hudson Department Store.
Here’s what Dan Gilbert said about the fate of the Renaissance Center in Detroit amid speculation that the iconic building would be demolished:
“We’re working on the plans, and I’ve got to tell you, the first couple versions I’ve seen, they’re absolutely stunning. I couldn’t believe it.
“I think GM and us are both -- and the city -- we’re all searching for a goal that we can keep most of it. I don’t know if we keep 100% of it, but I think we can keep most of it.
“I think we can also have some great things along the riverwalk. The riverwalk has been a beautiful thing for Detroit, but we have a lot of land, part of the Renaissance Center, that we can also activate that river, so we’re looking into doing that, as well.”
Dan Gilbert
---> Residents react to possible Renaissance Center demolition in Detroit