Gilbert Renames Dime Building to "Chrysler House"

**SWMAP** · April-30-12, 10:57 AM

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

I wonder if Gilbert's wife will remake this building as she did the Chase Building [[formerly NBD building) - into a cartoon.

**Detroitnerd** · April-30-12, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120430/AUTO0101/204300373/Dime-Building-renamed-Chrysler-House-automaker-creates-Detroit-office?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

I wonder if Gilbert's wife will remake this building as she did the Chase Building [[formerly NBD building) - into a cartoon.

Question: What do you call the Dime Building when it's renamed Chrysler House?

Answer: The Dime Building.

**carlscomputers** · April-30-12, 11:50 AM

Two floors, 70 employees & a building name change. That still doesn't represent a major presence in Detroit!? Now, if you leased the entire building, moved the corporate big wigs down there, that would be a start? This is like a politician who lives in the suburbs, but has a Detroit address, still doesn't make them a Detroiter!

**401don** · April-30-12, 11:50 AM

I wonder if they paid naming rights? Gotta love the 6th pic in the News article. A photographer captures a Jeep passing by the building. I'm happy for the development, and I understand the symbolism and all, but I'm just trying to picture this much press for a similar deal in a major city. I look forward to the day when this gets one line in the "news briefs" section.

**poobert** · April-30-12, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

...but I'm just trying to picture this much press for a similar deal in a major city. I look forward to the day when this gets one line in the "news briefs" section.

Yeah, no shit. With all the press you'd think we're hosting the next Olympics. I'm quite happy about it and it is good news all around but going on and on about it just makes us look kind of silly. Which I guess we are.

**Scottathew** · April-30-12, 12:09 PM

I disagree with folks that want to minimize this. This is huge. Chrysler is moving executives into the heart of Downtown Detroit.

Yes, it's only 70. However, perhaps this is just a start. Chrysler is growing now, and I could very easily see this turning into more.

As for the rename, I agree with DetroitNerd.

**Wheels** · April-30-12, 12:27 PM

Does this mean Chrysler can now stop on a Dime?

**DetroitPlanner** · April-30-12, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Question: What do you call the Dime Building when it's renamed Chrysler House?

Answer: The Dime Building.

LOL Exactly... though I used to call it One Kennedy Square back when it had that name!

Most interesting part of the story was Gilbert joining up with the United Way and the $3 million towards buying a transit station along the M-1 corridor.

**Gistok** · April-30-12, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

Yeah, no shit. With all the press you'd think we're hosting the next Olympics. I'm quite happy about it and it is good news all around but going on and on about it just makes us look kind of silly. Which I guess we are.

I think we should wait and see just "which" 70 people are referred to here before calling this out as silly. After all remember how everyone was fussing over a "mere" 200 people that moved from the Comerica Tower to Dallas...

**Hypestyles** · April-30-12, 12:45 PM

... seems kind of like a sears tower/willis tower kind of thing with the renaming.. but hopefully there will be many more tenants in the months to come.. I wonder what kind of businesses/services would be a good fit..

**douglasm** · April-30-12, 03:03 PM

Detroitnerd make a good point. Memory says at one point an attempt was made to rename The Penobscot Building as The City National Bank Building in the late 60's or early 70's. Guess how long that lasted.

As an aside, as I remember it, the Dime Building has also been the Commonwealth Building [[as in Bank Of The) and Griswold Place, reverting back to the Dime name about 10 years ago. But call it what you will, I don't think it's a big thing.

**313WX** · April-30-12, 03:31 PM

Until Chrysler officially says "We will be moving our headquarters into the Dime Building in downtown Detroit", all the hype over the move gets tired.

**Patrick** · April-30-12, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Until Chrysler officially says "We will be moving our headquarters into the Dime Building in downtown Detroit", all the hype over the move gets tired.

When are you moving your HQ to Detroit eh?

**Detroitnerd** · April-30-12, 04:14 PM

Clinton Township, 2028: This stretch of once-suburban Detroit draws photographers from all over the world. Tumbleweeds roll past derelict subdivisions. From a few of the buildings, squatters peer out, looking out for trouble. Streets cracked by the freeze-thaw cycle are patched with dung and sand. One last house looks decent, and its sprinkler system chirps to life. Here lives the last official homeowner of this exurban encampment, a man only identified as 313WX.
And he's remarkably upbeat.
"People used to talk about how great Detroit was, that people wanted city life and didn't want to live and work out here. I mean, why? It's great out here!"
He recalls that, in the 2000s and 2010s, when businesses and residents started abandoning these far-flung developments for the time-tested city and inner ring suburbs, he sat back and, as he puts it, "laughed my ass off."
He asks, "What does it mean that Chrysler, General Motors and Ford have all officially moved downtown? Or that the parts suppliers and new knowledge-based companies are moving down there. It' a hellhole. Until they get the schools fixed, nobody will want to live down there."
In a year when Detroit's population has surpassed 1 million for the first time since 1999, and with the floor fallen out of the exurban real estate market, it's a tough sell.
"Look at this place," the final taxpaying resident says. "This is freedom! I can ride my four-wheeler all over this place. And no crime! And pretty good schools, if you don't mind driving about 25 miles a day. I sure don't."
Etc., etc., ad absurdum...

**Motor City Sam** · April-30-12, 04:29 PM

Bad news is this town certainly gets it's share of over hype, so I can happily live with what is perhaps an overreaction to the news of Chrysler moving 70 employees and establishing an office for the CEO.

The name change of the Dime Building is not that big a deal. As someone pointed out before, they just went back to the "Dime" name about a decade ago.

The really good news coming from that press conference is that the Jefferson North plants vehicles are selling so well that they will work through the summer shutdown and will later add a third shift.

**Wheels** · April-30-12, 04:29 PM

So you think close to 4 million people are going to live and work in Detroit? It's going to take more then 70 sales people moving into the Dime building to sell that story.

**mikeg19** · April-30-12, 04:31 PM

Name change doesn't mean a damn thing, although I can see why some people have the argument for it. Last time I checked, nobody called "Willis Tower" by its name. And I don't think there will be major renovations seeing as the Dime already went through renovations recently.

**313WX** · April-30-12, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Patrick

When are you moving your HQ to Detroit eh?

If I had an HQ, it would have always been in Detroit [[if not in Chicago).

**313WX** · April-30-12, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Clinton Township, 2028: This stretch of once-suburban Detroit draws photographers from all over the world. Tumbleweeds roll past derelict subdivisions. From a few of the buildings, squatters peer out, looking out for trouble. Streets cracked by the freeze-thaw cycle are patched with dung and sand. One last house looks decent, and its sprinkler system chirps to life. Here lives the last official homeowner of this exurban encampment, a man only identified as 313WX.
And he's remarkably upbeat.
"People used to talk about how great Detroit was, that people wanted city life and didn't want to live and work out here. I mean, why? It's great out here!"
He recalls that, in the 2000s and 2010s, when businesses and residents started abandoning these far-flung developments for the time-tested city and inner ring suburbs, he sat back and, as he puts it, "laughed my ass off."
He asks, "What does it mean that Chrysler, General Motors and Ford have all officially moved downtown? Or that the parts suppliers and new knowledge-based companies are moving down there. It' a hellhole. Until they get the schools fixed, nobody will want to live down there."
In a year when Detroit's population has surpassed 1 million for the first time since 1999, and with the floor fallen out of the exurban real estate market, it's a tough sell.
"Look at this place," the final taxpaying resident says. "This is freedom! I can ride my four-wheeler all over this place. And no crime! And pretty good schools, if you don't mind driving about 25 miles a day. I sure don't."
Etc., etc., ad absurdum...

'
HA!!! Sorry, you have me completely pegged wrong.

The thought of living in sprawlsburg causes me to throw up a little.

It's enough that I have no other alternative in this city ther than to deal with suburbia for basic shopping.

In any event, it would have been nice if our media was this passionate about how Comerica managed to relocate an entire HQ from where its been for over 150 years with only 200 people [[or executives).

**Detroitnerd** · April-30-12, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

'
HA!!! Sorry, you have me completely pegged wrong.

The thought of living in sprawlsburg causes me to throw up a little.

It's enough that I have no other alternative in this city ther than to deal with suburbia for basic shopping.

In any event, it would have been nice if our media was this passionate about how Comerica managed to relocate an entire HQ from where its been for over 150 years with only 200 people [[or executives).

Hey, 313WX. Sometimes I like to spin these little ideas off in satirical pieces like that. I don't pretend to know anybody here, just a little fun on my part. Anyway, I do think something is happening, things are changing. The region is shrinking, and some people are finding the center again. We'll see how that goes, huh?

Occurrence · April-30-12, 05:01 PM

What's the point of naming it the "Chrysler House" when it's really the Dime Building?

**313WX** · April-30-12, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Hey, 313WX. Sometimes I like to spin these little ideas off in satirical pieces like that. I don't pretend to know anybody here, just a little fun on my part. Anyway, I do think something is happening, things are changing. The region is shrinking, and some people are finding the center again. We'll see how that goes, huh?

Detroit's rapidly losing relevance relative to how fast other regions are growing. I mean, we're about to let relatively low-growth cities such as Seattle and Minneapolis pass us up.

While we're cheering about the move of a whopping 70 people into dime building, I'm betting about as many people just left the city in the past week and a small business employing that many people left the city for the suburbs or somewhere out of state as well.

So we can't sit around fiddling our thumbs too much longer The time we needed to find our center so to speak was 1980. That's why those who realize this have jumped the ship and given up [[including Comerica actually).

**Detroitnerd** · April-30-12, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Detroit's rapidly losing relevance relative to how fast other regions are growing. I mean, we're about to let relatively low-growth cities such as Seattle and Minneapolis pass us up.

While we're cheering about the move of a whopping 70 people into dime building, I'm betting about as many people just left the city in the past week and a small business employing that many people left the city for the suburbs or somewhere out of state as well.

So we can't sit around fiddling our thumbs too much longer The time we needed to find our center so to speak was 1980. That's why those who realize this have jumped the ship and given up [[including Comerica actually).

Well, this is a corporate move. Detroit's corporate heads aren't very forward-thinking, generally. By the time they "discover" downtown, it will have been because of all the small business people who are making it happen today.

**Gistok** · April-30-12, 05:22 PM

Why is the Eaton Tower now called the Broderick Tower? Why was the NBD Building called the Chase Tower? Why was the Capitol/Paramount/Broadway Capitol/Grand Circus Theatre now called the Detroit Opera House? Why is the State/Palms-State/Palms Theatre now called the Fillmore? Why is the ANR Building now called One Woodward Ave?

Simple answer... new tenants or owners... or both...

**douglasm** · April-30-12, 07:20 PM

I hate to ask a dumb question, but why should Chrysler move it's HQ to downtown, or anywhere in Detroit proper for that matter.

This is not a knock on Detroit, the company has always had a big footprint in town, but my dad worked at the Highland Park headquarters complex for 40 years. We have this tendency to forget that the only major auto company headquartered in Detroit is GM.

I think some people are trying to make too much out of the move. I don't know what the occupancy rate of the Dime Building is, but I think it's a good thing when any company rents 33,000 square feet of a major office building downtown, aparently with a long enough commitment to change the building's "name".