Renaissance Center

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Renaissance Center

The Renaissance Center (also known as the GM Renaissance Center and nicknamed the RenCen) is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Detroit, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Located on the International Riverfront

Detroit International Riverfront

General Motors

General Motors Corporation , founded in 1908, is the world's second-largest automaker after Toyota, ranked by 2008 global unit sales. GM was the global sales leader for 77 consecutive calendar years from 1931 to 2008....
as its world headquarters. The central tower, called the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, is the tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere

Western Hemisphere

The Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geography term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian , the other half being the Eastern Hemisphere....
, and features the largest rooftop restaurant, Coach Insignia.

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Encyclopedia

The Renaissance Center (also known as the GM Renaissance Center and nicknamed the RenCen) is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Detroit, Michigan

Michigan

United States

Detroit International Riverfront

General Motors

Western Hemisphere

List of tallest buildings in Michigan

The following is a list comprising the fifty tallest skyscrapers in the U.S. state of Michigan. Skyscrapers are listed in descending order, from first to fiftieth....
in Michigan

Michigan

John Portman

John C. Portman, Jr. is an United States architect and real estate developer known for creation of the multi-storied atrium hotel. Born in Walhalla, South Carolina, he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1950....
was the principal architect for the original design. The first phase constructed a five-building rosette

Rosette (design)

A rosette is a round, stylized flower design, used extensively in sculptural objects from ancient history. Appearing in Mesopotamia and used to decorate the funeral stele in Ancient Greek....
, with a 73-story hotel surrounded by four 39-story office towers. This first phase officially opened in March 1977. Portman's design renewed attention to city architecture, constructing the world's tallest hotel at the time. Two additional 21-story office towers opened in 1981. This type of complex has been termed a city within a city.

In 2003, General Motors completed a $500 million renovation of its world headquarters in the Renaissance Center, which it had purchased in 1996. The renovation included the addition of the five-story Wintergarden, which provides access to the International Riverfront. Architects for the renovation included Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Gensler, SmithGroup

Smith Hinchman & Grylls

SmithGroup ranks as the United States' 7th largest architecture and engineering firm and employs 800. The firm is composed of client industry-focused practices serving the healthcare, learning, workplace and science & technology markets....
, and Ghafari Associates. Work continued in and around the complex until 2005. The Renaissance Center totals making it one of the world's largest office complexes

List of largest buildings in the world

This list of largest buildings in the world ranks buildings from around the world by usable space and floor space . The term 'building' used by this list refers to single structures that are suitable for continuous human occupancy....
. Cost estimates to build the Renaissance Center today exceed $5 billion.

History

Conceived by Henry Ford II

Henry Ford II

Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is an United States multinational corporation and the world's List of automobile manufacturers#World Motor Vehicle Production by Manufacturer based on worldwide vehicle sales, following Toyota, General Motors, and Volkswagen Group....
, the Renaissance Center became the world's largest private development with an anticipated 1971 cost of $500 million. In part, civic leaders intended this ambitious urban renewal project to quell the white flight

White flight

White flight is a term for the demographics trend in which working class and middle-class white people move away from suburbs or urban area neighborhoods that are becoming racially desegregation to white suburbs and Commuter town....
which increased, following the social unrest from the 12th Street riot

12th Street riot

The Detroit 1967 race riot was a civil disturbance in Detroit, Michigan, United States, that began in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 23, 1967....
in 1967. The project was intended to revitalize the economy of Detroit.

In 1970, Ford Motor Company Chairman Henry Ford II teamed up with other business leaders to form Detroit Renaissance, a private non-profit development organization, which he headed in order to stimulate building activity in areas of Detroit that had been severely impacted by the city's deterioration. The group announced the first phase of construction in 1971. In addition, Detroit Renaissance contributed to a variety of other projects within the downtown area in the ensuing decades. Henry Ford II sold the concept of the RenCen to the City and community leaders. Detroit mayor Roman Gribbs

Roman Gribbs

Roman Stanley Gribbs was the List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan from 1970 to 1974. Later, Gribbs served as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals....
touted the project as a complete rebuilding from bridge to bridge, referring to the area between the Ambassador Bridge

Ambassador Bridge

The Ambassador Bridge is a Property suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Ontario, in Canada....
that connected Detroit to Windsor, Ontario

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and lies at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Windsor is located south of Detroit, Michigan, is separated from that city by the Detroit River, and has views of the Detroit skyline....
and the MacArthur Bridge, which connects the city with Belle Isle Park

Belle Isle Park

Belle Isle is a 982 acre island park in the Detroit River managed by the Detroit, Michigan Recreation Department. It is connected to the rest of the city by the MacArthur Bridge ....
.

The city within a city arose. The first tower of the Renaissance Center opened on July 1, 1976. Principal architect

Architect

An architect is trained and licenced in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e....
John Portman

John Portman

John C. Portman, Jr. is an United States architect and real estate developer known for creation of the multi-storied atrium hotel. Born in Walhalla, South Carolina, he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1950....
was also the architect for the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel and the Peachtree Center

Peachtree Center

Peachtree Center is a multi-block area located in the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia . The mixed-use complex was designed by Atlanta architect John Portman....
in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
; the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States, with a 2007 estimated population of 799,183....
; and the Bonaventure Hotel

Bonaventure Hotel

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel is the largest hotel in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is 367 feet tall and has 35 floors. Construction began in 1974, and was completed in 1976....
in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
. The first five towers were covered with of glass, and used about of concrete. Phase I of the Renaissance Center cost $337 million to construct, employing 7,000 workers. In 1977, the central hotel tower of the Renaissance Center, which opened as a Westin Hotel, became the world's tallest all-hotel skyscraper, surpassing its architectural twin, the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta. What is today known as the Swissôtel The Stamford

Swissôtel The Stamford

Swiss?tel The Stamford at 226 metres with 73 floors, is the tallest hotel in the south of Asia and the third tallest hotel in the world. The hotel is also the List of tallest buildings in Singapore....
(1986) in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
had surpassed it. Since 1986, the Renaissance Center's central tower has remained the tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere

Western Hemisphere

The Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geography term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian , the other half being the Eastern Hemisphere....
.

On April 15, 1977, Henry Ford II and Detroit mayor Coleman Young

Coleman Young

Coleman Alexander Young served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan in the U.S. state of Michigan from 1974 to 1993. Young was Detroit's first black mayor....
unveiled a plaque commemorating the private investors whose funds made the project possible and, later that evening, 650 business and society leaders attended a benefit celebrating the Renaissance Center's formal dedication. The money raised from the $300-per-couple tickets went to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1914. It performed the world's first radio broadcast of a symphonic concert on February 10, 1922 with pianist Artur Schnabel, and became the first nationally broadcast radio orchestra on The Ford Sunday Evening Hour from 1934 to 1942 on the Columbia Broadcast System....
. When it opened, the cylindrical central tower was originally the flagship

Flagship

A flagship is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, a designation given on account of being either the largest, fastest, newest, most heavily armed or, for publicity purposes, the most well known....
of the Westin Hotels

Westin Hotels

Westin Hotels & Resorts are an upscale hotel chain owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. As of 2005 Westin operated over 120 hotels in 24 countries....
. The top three floors of the hotel hosted an upscale restaurant, The Summit, that rotated to allow a 360 degree

Degree (angle)

A degree , usually denoted by ? , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1/360 of a Turn ; one degree is equivalent to p/180 radians....
view.

In 1980, Detroit hosted the Republican National Convention

Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the U.S. presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party . Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S....
which nominated Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
who had stayed at the Renaissance Center while in Detroit.

Metro Detroit expanded upon the city within a city concept with the nearby Southfield Town Center office complex with its five inter-connected golden skyscrapers constructed from 1975 to 1989. In the ensuing years, the Renaissance Center would face competition from the growing suburban office market.

In 1987, the elevated monorail Detroit People Mover

Detroit People Mover

The Detroit People Mover is a 2.9 mile people mover system which operates a single-track, one-way loop through the central business district of downtown Detroit, Michigan, Michigan....
, after many years of construction, began operation with a stop at the Renaissance Center. At first, the Ford Motor Company had occupied many offices in the building. In 1996, General Motors purchased the complex and moved its world headquarters to the Renaissance Center downtown from what is now the historic Cadillac Place

Cadillac Place

Cadillac Place is an ornate high-rise office building in the New Center, Detroit area of Detroit, Michigan constructed of limestone, granite, and marble....
state office complex in the New Center

New Center, Detroit

The New Center is a commercial district located in Detroit, Michigan, approximately three miles north of the city's downtown, and one mile north of the Cultural Center Historic District....
district, northwest of downtown.

By 2003, GM had completed an extensive $500 million renovation of the Renaissance Center. This included a $100 million makeover for the hotel. Among GM's first actions was to remove the concrete berms facing Jefferson Avenue. The renovation includes a lighted glass walkway which encircles the interior mezzanine for ease of navigation, while the addition of the Wintergarden provides riverfront access and a view of Canada. A covered skyway

Skyway

In an urban area setting, a skyway, Footbridge#Catwalk, or skywalk is a type of pedway consisting of an Covered bridge or covered Foot bridge between two buildings....
over Jefferson Avenue connects to the Millender Center, Courtyard by Marriott - Downtown Detroit

Courtyard by Marriott - Downtown Detroit

The Courtyard by Marriott is a mid-upscale high-rise Hotel in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It stands next to the similarly-appearing Millender Center Apartments, and is connected to the apartments, the Renaissance Center, and the Coleman A....
, and Coleman A. Young Municipal Center

Coleman A. Young Municipal Center

The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center is a government office building in Downtown Detroit, near Hart Plaza, One Detroit Center and the Renaissance Center....
. In addition to the renovation cost, work around the complex (including road configurations) continued until 2005.

The Renaissance Center is owned by General Motors. The hotel in the central tower is now occupied by the Marriott

Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a range of value and luxury hotels and related lodging facilities. Marriott currently has 2,300 accommodation properties in North America alone....
hotel chain and is called the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. The 1,298 room hotel is one of the largest operated by Marriott. The rooftop restaurant (which no longer rotates) received a $10 million renovation and is occupied by the Coach Insignia. It serves Coach wines, a product of the Fisher family whose legacy includes Fisher Body

Fisher Body

Fisher Body is an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan which is now an operating division of General Motors....
, a name which is part of GM history.

The Renaissance Center's renovation provides for the prospect of continued development and restorations throughout the city. Architectural critics have touted the city's architecture as among America's finest.

Statistics

Building	Year	Stories	Height feet / m	Area sq feet / m²	Principal tenant(s)
Central - Hotel Tower	1977 2003	73	727 / 221.5	1,660,000 / 154,000 estimate	Marriott
Southwest - Tower 100	1977 2003	39	522 / 159	575,000 / 53,400	General Motors United States Post Office
Northwest - Tower 200	1977 2003	39	522 / 159	575,000 / 53,400	GMAC Financial Services
Northeast - Tower 300	1977 2003	39	522 / 159	575,000 / 53,400	General Motors
Southeast - Tower 400	1977 2003	39	522 / 159	575,000 / 53,400	General Motors, Consulate-General of Japan
Podium structures beneath Towers 100-400	1977 2003	5	103 / 31.39	660,000 / 61,000	GM World, exhibit space & retail
Tower 500	1981 2004	21	339 / 103	320,000 / 30,000	Electronic Data Systems Electronic Data Systems Electronic Data Systems, an HP Company, commonly EDS, is a global business and technology services company headquartered in Plano, Texas that defined the outsourcing business when it was established in 1962 by Ross Perot.... & retail
Tower 600	1981 2004	21	339 / 103	340,000 / 32,000	Deloitte & retail, Consulate-General of Canada Diplomatic missions of Canada Canada has an extensive diplomatic network, maintained by Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade . As a Commonwealth of Nations nation, Canada's diplomatic missions in the capitals of other commonwealth nations are referred to as High Commissions ....
Wintergarden & shops	2001	5	103 / 31.39	150,000 / 14,000	GM & retail space
Wintergarden atrium	2001	5	103 / 31.39	40,000 / 3,700	GM main floor exhibit space
Mezzanine	1977 2003	NA	NA	30,000 / 2,800	GM University
Renaissance Center total	1977 2004	NA	727 / 221.5	5,500,000 / 511,000	All

Architecture

The centerpiece is the 1,298-room luxury hotel, 73-story 727 foot (221.5 m). Its height is measured from its main Wintergarden entrance on Atwater Street which faces the International Riverfront

Detroit International Riverfront

__NOEDITSECTION__The Detroit International Riverfront is an area so designated by the nonprofit city sponsored managing entity, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy incorporated as a 501 organization....
where the complex measures 14 feet (4.27m) taller. Entirely owned by General Motors, the complex has of space. The main Renaissance Center complex rises from a 14-acre

Acre

The acre is a Units of measurement of area in a number of different systems, including the Imperial unit#Measures of area and United States customary units#Units of area systems....
site (56,700 m²).

Famous for its cylindrical design, the central hotel tower's diameter

Diameter

In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle....
is 188 feet (57 m). A lighted glass walkway radiates the mezzanine

Mezzanine (architecture)

In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building....
level and encircles the base of cylindrical hotel tower for ease of navigation. This ringed glass walkway is about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and has a circumference

Circumference

The circumference is the distance around a closed curve. Circumference is a kind of perimeter....
of approximately 660 ft (201 m) or about one-eighth of a mile (.2 km) around. The ringed walkway's diameter is approximately 210 feet (64 m). It links to several other walkways in the complex. The five-story Wintergarden atrium leads into the central area which has an eight-story atrium lobby with artificial ponds, rounded concrete

Concrete

Concrete is a construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, construction aggregate , water , and Chemistry admixtures....
balconies

Balcony

Balcony , a kind of platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or Corbel brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade. The traditional Malta balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a wall....
, and terraces. Floors 71 through 73 include the Coach Insignia, an upscale restaurant with a lounge area/observation floor. The hotel has no floor labeled 7, 8, or 13. The hotel features a major conference center with of meeting space including a Renaissance Ballroom for up to 2,200 guests with for events, one of the largest in the United States.

John Portman

John Portman

Rosette (design)

A rosette is a round, stylized flower design, used extensively in sculptural objects from ancient history. Appearing in Mesopotamia and used to decorate the funeral stele in Ancient Greek....
with interior spaces. In 1977, its central tower opened as the tallest hotel in the world. It remains the tallest all hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The smaller cylinders on sides of all the towers house the elevator

Elevator

An elevator or lift is a vertical transport vehicle that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building. They are generally powered by electric motors that either drive traction cables and counterweight systems, or pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston....
s. The four surrounding 39-story office towers (100-400) each reach 522 feet (159 m) and have a total of of space. Each 39 story tower has a base five-story podium structure with for retail space for a total of . A portion of the central atrium

Atrium (architecture)

In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within an office and usually located immediately beyond the main entrance doors....
area houses GM World, a show case for GM vehicles. Two 21-story towers (500-600), designed by Portman and constructed in 1981, reach 339 feet (103 m). GM gained control of Towers 500 and 600 in 2001.

Towers 100 and 200 are along Jefferson Avenue. Towers 300 and 400 are along the main Wintergarden/Atwater Street entrance facing the Riverfront. Tower 200 contains the Riverfront 4, a four-screen, first-run movie theater, on the third floor of the tower. The Renaissance Club, a private club founded by Henry Ford II

Henry Ford II

Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford. He was president of the Ford Motor Company from 1945 to 1960, Board of directors and Chief executive officer from 1960 to 1979, and chairman for several months thereafter....
in 1987, is located on the 36th floor of the tower. The Renaissance Conference Center is located on the second floor of tower 300.

In December 2001, the General Motors Wintergarden retail atrium was unveiled. Designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, it rises 103 feet (31.39m) tall at its highest point opening direct access to the International Riverfront

Detroit International Riverfront

__NOEDITSECTION__The Detroit International Riverfront is an area so designated by the nonprofit city sponsored managing entity, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy incorporated as a 501 organization....
. In addition, the five-story Wintergarden atrium area, added in 2001, has devoted to retail with of contiguous main floor exhibit space which was used by the media during Super Bowl XL

Super Bowl XL

Redevelopment

The redevelopment project included the work of many different architects including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago, SmithGroup

Smith Hinchman & Grylls

SmithGroup ranks as the United States' 7th largest architecture and engineering firm and employs 800. The firm is composed of client industry-focused practices serving the healthcare, learning, workplace and science & technology markets....
of Detroit, Gensler Detroit office, and Ghafari Associates of Dearborn

Dearborn, Michigan

Dearborn is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the Metro Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan, and is the tenth largest city in the U.S....
who did the renovation of the office towers. The majority of the construction operations were led by Turner Construction Company. The cost of the renovation does not include the cost for reconfiguring the streets around the Renaissance Center or the cost of the park along the International Riverfront. Estimates to construct the Renaissance Center today exceed $

United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
5 billion.

The $500 million renovation of the Renaissance Center completed in 2003 has helped improve Detroit's economy. Together, GM's renovation of the Renaissance Center and the Detroit Riverwalk exceeded $1 billion; the project constituted a substantial investment in downtown. More than 10,000 people (of which 6,000 are GM employees) work in the complex. Nearly 2,000 state workers now occupy GM's former office building, the restored Cadillac Place

Cadillac Place

Cadillac Place is an ornate high-rise office building in the New Center, Detroit area of Detroit, Michigan constructed of limestone, granite, and marble....
, in the historic New Center

New Center, Detroit

The New Center is a commercial district located in Detroit, Michigan, approximately three miles north of the city's downtown, and one mile north of the Cultural Center Historic District....
district.

The Wintergarden added to the Renaissance Center faces the Riverfront and provides panoramic views of the Windsor skyline. The complex connects offices, the hotel, retail specialty shops, restaurants, a jazz club, and a movie theater. A pedestrian-friendly glass entryway has replaced the former concrete berms along Jefferson Avenue. The redevelopment provides the GM World display of vehicles, a restored hotel, a renovated rooftop restaurant, and the addition of GM's corporate logo to crown the top of the building. Construction of the lighted glass walkway facilitates ease of navigation encircling the interior mezzanine. Hines completed redevelopment of Towers 500 and 600 for GM in 2004.

The Riverfront Promenade was dedicated on December 17, 2004, and helped to usher in a return to recreational uses along Detroit's International Riverfront

Detroit International Riverfront

__NOEDITSECTION__The Detroit International Riverfront is an area so designated by the nonprofit city sponsored managing entity, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy incorporated as a 501 organization....
. GM played a key role in the transformation of the east riverfront with a donation of $135 million to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy for the development of a world class riverfront promenade planned at $559 million, which included $50 million from the Kresge foundation. With the addition of several prominent restaurants and retailers to the complex – such as JoS. A. Bank Clothiers

JoS. A. Bank Clothiers

File:JosephABankHudsonOhio.JPGJoS. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc., , is a men's clothing designer and retailer founded in 1905 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland , with corporate offices located outside the city in nearby Hampstead, Maryland....
, Seldom Blues, and a first-run movie theatre – the RenCen has started to redefine Detroit once again for a new generation. In 2006, the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority added a new state of the art cruise ship dock and passenger terminal adjacent to the Renaissance Center on Hart Plaza. Port authority bonds financed another 1,500 space parking garage adjacent to the Renaissance Center. The Omni Hotel at Riverplace faces the Riverfront as part of a restored historic area. Planned projects complementing the Renaissance Center continue along the International Riverfont which include development of luxury condominiums, retail, and entertainment usage.

Location

The Renaissance Center, east of Woodward Avenue and the city's central financial district, is set apart from the rest of Detroit's skyscrapers. From the top of the Renaissance Center's Coach Insignia restaurant, patrons peer down upon the neogothic spires of the Comerica Tower

Comerica Tower

One Detroit Center is a skyscraper in downtown Detroit, Michigan, Michigan. Rising 619 feet , the 43-story tower is the tallest office building in Michigan, and the second tallest overall in the state behind the central hotel tower of the Renaissance Center, located a few blocks away....
and city's Art Deco

Art Deco

Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts and film....
skyscrapers and stadiums. The view from the top extends for in all directions. A pedestrian walkway over Jefferson Avenue connects the complex to the Millender Center which connects to the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Hart Plaza, Cobo Hall

Cobo Hall

Cobo Hall, officially Cobo Conference/Exhibition Center, is a convention center situated in downtown Detroit, Michigan, Michigan, United States....
(home to the North American International Auto Show

North American International Auto Show

The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan. It is among the largest auto shows in North America....
) and Joe Louis Arena

Joe Louis Arena

Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA, is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the National Hockey League franchise, the Detroit Red Wings....
(Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan, who are the current Stanley Cup champions.They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
) are several blocks to the west. Comerica Park

Comerica Park

Comerica Park is an open air baseball park located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
(Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit, Michigan in ....
) and Ford Field

Ford Field

Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan that is the current home field of the National Football League's Detroit Lions....
(Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are an American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit....
) are several streets northward. The American side of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel emerges directly besides the Renaissance Center. Renaissance Center is a station on the Detroit People Mover

Detroit People Mover

Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
balances the city's panoramic waterfront skyline

Skyline

A skyline is best described as the overall or partial view of a silhouette of a City tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background....
, a frequent feature in photography taken from the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario

Windsor, Ontario

Tenants

400 Tower

The Consulate-General of Japan in Detroit is located on the 16th Floor.

600 Tower

The Consulate-General of Canada in Detroit
Diplomatic missions of Canada

Canada has an extensive diplomatic network, maintained by Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade . As a Commonwealth of Nations nation, Canada's diplomatic missions in the capitals of other commonwealth nations are referred to as High Commissions ....
is located in Suite 1100.

In popular culture

In 2004, the Renaissance Center was featured in the Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner

Kevin Michael Costner is an United States actor, film producer, and Academy Award-winning film director. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Oscars and a Golden Globe Award....
and Joan Allen

Joan Allen

Joan Allen is an American actress.Allen worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway theatre debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989....
film The Upside of Anger
The Upside of Anger

The Upside of Anger is a 2005 in film romantic comedy film comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Binder and set in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan....
. Costner's character plays a DJ for WRIF

WRIF

WRIF is a radio station broadcasting a Active Rock format. Licensed to Detroit, Michigan, USA, the station serves the Detroit area. The station is currently owned by Greater Media The signal can also be heard as far as Flint, MI, Port Huron, MI, Jackson, MI, Chatham-Kent and Lambton County, Ontario, Northern Toledo, OH and sometimes as far...
101 FM, a real Detroit FM rock station, whose studio (in the film) is housed in the Renaissance Center. The Renaissance Center is also featured in the films Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank

Grosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 in film United States comedy movie, directed by George Armitage, and starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver....
and Action Jackson
Action Jackson

"Action Jackson" is a 1988 in film action film directed by Craig R. Baxley and starring Carl Weathers, Vanity , Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone....
.

For the 2005 Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between them since 1903 ....
all-star game, the center tower of the Renaissance Center was wrapped with an image of a large baseball smashing into the tower, with "4612 Ft." written below it to indicate the distance from home plate at Comerica Park

Comerica Park

Super Bowl XL

Super Bowl XL featured the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 NFL season....
held in Detroit on February 5, 2006, a large National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the Major North American professional sports leagues American football Sports league in the United States. It is an unincorporated 501#501.28c.29.286.29 association controlled by its members....
logo was wrapped around the main tower just beneath the GM logo. The Renaissance Center hosted the major media for Super Bowl XL

Super Bowl XL

Super Bowl XL featured the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 NFL season....
. GM offered the Wintergarden a venue for the annual Fash Bash, a fashion event and fundraiser coordinated by the Detroit Institute of Arts

Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts , originally named the Detroit Museum of Art, has one of the largest, most significant art collections in the United States....
.

In Kid Rock

Kid Rock

Robert James Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is a rapper turned singer/songwriter with five Grammy nominations. He was born in Romeo, Michigan on January 17, 1971....
's music video for Roll On

Roll On (Kid Rock song)

"Roll On" is the fourth single off of Kid Rock's double-platinum album Rock N Roll Jesus. It was shipped to radio on September 23, 2008. The music video was shot for it in August 2008 in Detroit, including at the Motown Historical Museum....
, the Renaissance Center was in the video along with several other well-known structures in Detroit.

External links

, the group that financed the construction.

SkyscraperPage.com's Profiles on the Renaissance Center buildings:

Renaissance Center

History

Statistics

Architecture

Redevelopment

Location

Tenants

In popular culture

See also

Bibliography

External links