Nearly Half of Detroit’s Renaissance Center Could Be Demolished, Changing the City’s Skyline Forever
Could you imagine, if Detroit didn't have its iconic skyline? Those who remember Detroit before the Renaissance Center was build sure can, but since then, it's almost unfathomable. It would be like Chicago with out Willis Tower, New York without the Empire State building, or Los Angeles without that one building that the aliens destroy in Independence Day.
The sad thing is, Detroit could soon see a MAJOR change that directly involves the Renaissance center, and could see as much as HALF of the iconic cluster of buildings taken down.
Earlier this year, it was announced that GM would be moving OUT of the iconic Detroit skyscraper, and into a brand new facility across town. That would leave a large chunk of the Renaissance Center completely empty. And while there are businesses who have interest in taking up SOME of the skyscraper's space, it seems like filling its satellite towers might be more difficult than originally thought.
GM Authority said some informants spoke to the Detroit Free Press about GM's transition away from the downtown building, saying it's possible that at least TWO of the complex's seven towers could come down, though it could be more.
The anonymous informant reportedly talked about the potential backlash from removing the buildings.
"People say, 'You'll change the whole skyline of Detroit.' Well then, we are we to leave a vacant monument just to keep the skyline?'"
Assuming this anonymous source is viable, which it sounds like they are, they have a good point. Why keep a towering structure standing, just because it would change the way the city looks? Detroit already has a big enough problem as it is with vacant, burned out buildings. The last thing this city would want is its literal pinnacle to be dark.
Why Could Part of the Renaissance Center Be Demolished?
Detroit's iconic skyscraper building cluster was built in the 1970s, and was finished in 1977. For a time, it showcased incredible advances in technology, and structure. But things change quickly these days, and what was once trendy and beautiful, is now complex, and difficult to maintain.
The exterior of the building is mostly glass, which makes it terribly energy-inefficient for someone who might try to move in and retrofit for new offices, or apartments. Its interior is also apparently comprised of a maze of corridors that would make navigating it and retrofitting different floors very expensive and complex.
But maybe the most important factor in all of this is the value of the property. In the place of a few aging, difficult-to-renovate buildings, real estate moguls could build more efficient, and modern buildings that could be more universal in their use - either for business, or to be turned into much-needed housing in suburban Detroit.
No decisions have been made as of yet, obviously, but it does seem there is at least SOME consideration to make way for something new next to the Renaissance Center. When asked about the possibility of it being demolished back in May, GM CEO Mary Barra "failed to deny" that demolition was being considered.