What Dan Gilbert Said About the Fate of the Renaissance Center in Detroit

DETROIT – Dan Gilbert took stock of the fate of an iconic Detroit building.

Built in 1977, the Renaissance Center, or RenCen, is the tallest building in Michigan at 720 feet. It is an iconic part of Detroit’s skyline, but some speculate it will be demolished.

In April, General Motors has announced that it will move its global headquarters at the Renaissance Center in Hudson County in 2025.

GM has signed a 15-year, multi-level lease for the upper office floors, as well as ground-floor display space for GM vehicles and community activities. The company will be the anchor tenant of the Bedrock development on the historic site of the former J.L. Hudson department store.

Here’s what Dan Gilbert had to say about the fate of Detroit’s Renaissance Center amid speculation the landmark building will be demolished:

“We’re working on the plans, and I have to tell you, the first two versions I’ve seen are absolutely breathtaking. I couldn’t believe it.

“I think GM and ourselves, and the city, are all looking for a goal that we can achieve in large part. I don’t know if we’ll achieve 100% of it, but I think we can achieve most of it.

“I think we can also do some great things along the riverwalk. The riverwalk is a great thing for Detroit, but we have a lot of land, part of the Renaissance Center, that could also allow us to activate that river, so we’re looking at doing that as well.”

Dan Gilbert

—> Residents react to possible demolition of Renaissance Center in Detroit