The Free Press asked readers what they think should happen to Detroit's Renaissance Center after GM and Bedrock proposed a costly reconfiguration of the complex. Here's what they had to say. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it online and in print.
Hear me out: Great Wolf Lodge Detroit
I believe the RenCen could be turned into a resort with a huge waterpark and indoor go-karts and arcade-type resort like a Great Wolf Lodge.
It could also have one of the casinos move into it or create another casino hotel right on the riverfront. Add apartments and condos, too, with a marketplace for the residents and the theme park. Outdoors could have Ferris wheels and carnival games with food trucks and souvenir and fudge shops. Almost a amusement part of the old days. Rent fishing poles and sailboards too.
Detroiters shouldn't pay for what we don't benefit from
I think the state should tell General Motors and Bedrock they aren't getting the money. There's little sense in giving tax breaks or other financial subsidies to maintain a building that GM seems to be suggesting quite clearly has no clear economic value, and at that even still demolishing part of the complex with these incentives. If GM truly doesn't think there's any sense in keeping the building standing, let them demolish it. My suspicion is that they don't want to do this but also aren't keen on footing the bill to retrofit it in anyway to make it useful. But if they're being earnest, and the building truly doesn't make economic sense, it should go.
Sure, some people might see it as a symbol of Detroit, but, honestly, I don't feel much affinity for it. Maybe it's because I rarely went downtown while I was young, but even then, nobody seemed keen on going out of their way to see it, or get pictures with it. Its single feature of note is that it's the tallest building in the state, but it's largely empty now and poorly utilized, fairly disconnected from the rest of downtown and adjacent to a sea of parking that we can credit GM for as they've stewarded the area for nearly 30 years and did next to nothing to make it an area of note.
If the towers are demolished, sure, it might be a bit sad to see things go, but it would be because it has outlived its usefulness. Cities are not museums, they are living places that change with the people in them. We have fewer people commuting into offices now, it would make plenty of sense for office towers to disappear, and perhaps something more utilizable to take its place in that area such as a new, updated hotel over the old Marriott, or perhaps apartments or condominiums. Or, we could get new office buildings that are not geared towards single large tenants and instead have a variety of offerings for small businesses that still do need to commute to work and meet in person due to whatever nature of their work requires it. Perhaps these towers being demolished will encourage policymakers and developers to create a more dynamic environment that relies on a variety of land uses rather than concentrating a single one over large swaths of our city center.
In 1976, the Renaissance Center opened, which redefined the Detroit city skyline. The Renaissance Center's placement on the Detroit Riverfront was in many ways the beginning of a new era for the city.
As a child of parents who grew up in Detroit, I had the opportunity to visit the city many times during my youth. I was always amazed at the beauty of the downtown skyscrapers. When the RenCen was being built, I couldn't imagine how much these round glass towers would change the look of Detroit.
My first visit to the building in 1977 was to go to a friend's 16th birthday party at "The Summit." The experience is one I will never forget. From navigating the concrete maze of the inner building to riding the glass elevator all the way to the top, to enjoying the 360-degree view of the city, a bit of awe and respect for the building was developed on my first encounter.
Over my lifetime, I have had many opportunities to visit the RenCen for personal and business events. During my visits, I am always amazed at the building's unique beauty. The inside of the building has gone through a variety of architectural changes, but one thing has never changed, the building's impact on the Detroit skyline.
Maybe the building needs to be reborn into a new use; the city can always us more housing. But one thing is certain, the RenCen's outline is the image of a city that has risen from the ashes throughout its history. The RenCen found its home along the Detroit Riverfront in 1976, forever changing this beautiful city, I hope it remains to remind us of the amazing Renaissance of Detroit.
A unique opportunity for the City of Detroit is offered by the confluence of two apparently disparate events: the future the RenCen and the incoming Trump administration.
One of the oft-stated goals of President-elect Donald Trump is to not only downsize federal government, but to decentralize it, making it more responsive to its citizens than to a centralized bureaucratic elite. The idea has been floated to move huge federal departments to areas of the country more directly affected by their policies. Perhaps, for example, Department of Energy to Texas, Agriculture to Kansas, Interior to Utah. And the Department of Transportation to Detroit.
Mayor Mike Duggan could burnish his credentials for his impending gubernatorial run by offering the RenCen to the Trump administration and incoming Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the new home for the Department of Transportation.
With Detroit-Windsor being the busiest international border crossing in North America, not to mention Detroit being the motor capital of the world, what better place to house the United States offices for transportation? And the empty offices and strategic location of the RenCen offer an ideal, and cost-effective option, for the new federal headquarters. The addition of thousands of good paying jobs and an influx of new city residents would be a boon to the city, the state, and contribute to solidifying Detroit as the hub of an international megalopolis from Chicago to Toronto.
Quick: In your mind's eye, picture downtown Houston. Nothing coming to mind? How about downtown Columbus? You can't? I wonder why? How about New York City? Easy -- the Empire State Building.
Like the Empire State Building in New York, or the Prudential Tower in San Francisco, the RenCen, striking and distinctive, is instantly recognizable the world over as 'Detroit.'
No other building in the city comes close to commanding that level of global brand recognition. That's a priceless asset that shouldn't be thoughtlessly cast aside. (And no, the new undefined at the Hudson's site is no substitute -- too generic.) It would be a terrible mistake to tear down RenCen.
The buildings have big issues and problems, but they can be addressed. The question shouldn't be whether to tear down. It should be how best to enhance and exploit Detroit's great calling card. Great cities keep their architectural treasures. Don't demolish, renew!
General Motors and Dan Gilbert should NOT be asking for any public funding to demolish or remodel the Renaissance Center. Detroit taxpayers have given far more than their share of public subsides via tax breaks to multimillionaires and billionaires over the past few decades. Please stop asking for a handout and help Detroiters get a hand up!
If you choose to tear down the most iconic building on Detroit's skyline, then so be it. It's your building, not ours, but I think you are making a grave mistake. Find a way to repurpose the office space (apartments and condos) and tear down maybe two of the office towers. The business community claims to be short of hotel space and you look to demolish 1300 rooms from the stock? This hotel is a good hotel! Why do this? But again, it is YOUR property, do as you please, but please stop insulting taxpayers with these arrogant proposals that truly come across in an extorting type way.
Every great city has a visual icon representing itself to the rest of the world. For Detroit, for the past five decades, it's been the RenCen. As the city emerged from the rocky sixties, these strong circular towers, unquestionably, became associated with its own renaissance. While the phrase "Image is Everything" is a bit simplistic and clearly does not encompass everything including economics, it does have weight, and the Rencen, for better or worse, has served that purpose. Before a regrettable vacuum is created, the powers that be should consider the big picture.
Motor City Messiah Gilbert's vision is not up to snuff
Here's my take: While Gilbert has proven himself as the "Motor City Messiah" of rehab, his vision for the Rencen is not up to snuff. The building itself and the encompassing towers are iconic. They're our twin towers. They make and define our beautiful skyline and riverfront. Now apart from aesthetics, looking at Gilbert's actual plan, it pans out as lackluster.
How much more mixed-use, unaffordable apartment/hotel/dining blah blah does our city need? We need substance. Please, no more parks or trying to connect with downtown as Gilbert's vision entails.
I was taken aback by the lack of insight into any plans for the mothballed movie theater that sits dormant within the Renaissance Center. It's a prime opportunity to provide something of substance that's affordable and accessible for people of all backgrounds.
The $250 million tax subsidy is a joke. How much longer are we, the working-class taxpayer, going to get the short end of the stick in mega-deals that fund extravagant construction for billionaires?
In my humble opinion, tear it down. It is not, nor has it ever been a great building. It has always looked cheap, it has no character, It's unimaginative, ugly silos of glass. Tear it down and give architects an opportunity to design something that is truly worthy of Detroit's skyline. And oh, by the way... make GM pay for it. No subsidizing the demo.
Demolishing two of the iconic Renaissance Center towers is incredibly short-sighted.
There's limited office demand today, but that doesn't mean it'll be like that in the future. I think the best thing would be for GM to totally divest of any interest in the Ren Cen. Then the space can be marketed and adapted for use by other companies, including foreign (even Chinese) auto manufacturers. Ever since the great recession 16 years ago, GM has been divesting from downtown Detroit. This is only the latest divesture by GM. Our City is experiencing an accelerating resurgence that is being recognized worldwide. The latest Travel + Leisure listing is an example of that. Demolishing the towers would likely receive international attention - as evidence of a dying Detroit, the opposite of what it is.
Our Riverfront is booming with activity from Bridge to Bridge. However, there's a dead zone of surface parking (GM's) to the immediate east of the Ren Cen. Developing this area should be the priority, rather than demolishing distinctive and historic towers.
Tearing down any part of the Renaissance Center would be a tremendously wasteful move at a time when Michigan faces an acute housing crisis.