General Motors bought the Renaissance Center — the signature of downtown Detroit's skyline — in 1996 and made it the automaker's headquarters.
But times have changed. The giant complex of office, retail and hotel space, built in the 1970s and '80s, no longer fits GM's needs.
The automaker is moving to cozier office space downtown in January. And, as Automotive News sibling publication Crain's Detroit Business reports, GM has notified all tenants — retail, office, food and beverage — that the towers are being emptied, save for the Marriott hotel in the 73-story central cylinder.
GM said deals would be reached to get the tenants out. Some had expiring leases, while others had years left, brokers said.
"Tenants will miss the amazing views of the Detroit River, but I don't suspect anyone will miss the confusing lobby and maze of escalators and elevators that felt like an M.C. Escher painting," Peter McGrath, managing director of the Birmingham, Mich., office of Savills brokerage house, told Crain's Detroit Business.
What will become of the RenCen?
GM and Bedrock, the development firm owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert, plan to tear down two of the complex's five main towers in the hopes of reinvigorating the site. GM is moving about a half-mile north to Gilbert's Hudson's Detroit development.
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— Omari Gardner, director of content and commentary
