Hudson's Site Building Thread

[stasu1213]

They're not building this glitzy generational landmark just to put some dumpy fast food chains in it.

The Ren Cen is mostly full of meat and potatoes things that are of practical convenience to the 10,000+ workers and visitors who are at the complex. I think even the better restaurants mainly serve the function as high end food courts [[nicer places for workers to eat or to meet with clients).

At Hudsons, Bedrock will be looking to anchor their downtown retail district, and to reinforce the prestige of the project with popular brands.


I don't know how much of a threat Hudsons really is to the Ren Cen. Hudsons will be a more prestigious landmark but I think the Ren Cen will remain more iconic and visitor-friendly. The Ren Cen isn't really competing for the same kind of office tenant, and the Marriot is only a 3 star hotel so I don't think they're really competing for the same guests either. I'm guessing the Ren Cen ultimately benefits, because "rising tides lift all boats".

The RenCen is not exactly tourist friendly as it has the potential to be. Many so called stores are closed on the weekends. There is nothing to do for tourist. The newly renovated lower level is a showcase for new cars, which is understandable being that they are trying to sell cars. However, there is nothing wrong with having a classic 57 Chevy on display or some classic GM Cars to be in the mix. When GM was on the Boulevard they had a few classic cars sprinkled throughout the lobby of the complex. This management company the GM uses only make the complex a total office building and just like every office building it is closed for business on weekends including anything for tourists to enjoy

[Jason]

That all being said, with the Hudson Tower hotel... I actually hope it is not just a high end brand [[Four Seasons, Ritz, Waldorf, etc.). Reason being is that there is now a market again for such a brand to exist in Downtown Detroit, but if built, the business case is not there for such a brand to have a large number of rooms. Basically there is a market for a 125~ room Ritz/Four Seasons/etc, but not for 500 rooms. Most luxurious hotels are small in room numbers anyway. I also expect one of those brands [[or similar) to eventually open up in the renovated Book Tower.

On the other hand, there is definitely a need and business case for another ~600 room 3/4-star hotel in downtown. [[I.e Hilton, Hyatt, JW Marriott, etc.). That is the hotel I hope goes in the Hudson Tower, or better yet paired with the luxury hotel described above. Simply put, I would like to see some height added to the skyline via the new tower, and a 600 room Hilton will result in a much taller Hudson tower than a 125 room Ritz Carlton. Hoping for height...

Yeah, I think I agree, I'd rather have a taller building and a denser development, than have the luxury brand. My guess is that Gilbert wants both and that that's what they're still trying to figure out.

The RenCen is not exactly tourist friendly as it has the potential to be. Many so called stores are closed on the weekends. There is nothing to do for tourist. The newly renovated lower level is a showcase for new cars, which is understandable being that they are trying to sell cars. However, there is nothing wrong with having a classic 57 Chevy on display or some classic GM Cars to be in the mix. When GM was on the Boulevard they had a few classic cars sprinkled throughout the lobby of the complex. This management company the GM uses only make the complex a total office building and just like every office building it is closed for business on weekends including anything for tourists to enjoy

The Ren Cen has big interesting public spaces. I think one of the main tests of how interesting a space is is how kids react in it, and I've been there with kids and they find it really fun to traverse and explore. The elevator ride tour is cool. And sometimes people just want to eat at Panera, and they can do that and watch some freighters go by. Being GM's HQ makes it a point of interest and the cars are fun. To me it gives off a very "cosmopolitan big city" vibe.

The Hudsons project doesn't have any public space in it at all. All you can do to engage with it is walk past it on the sidewalk and look up at the tower. They took out the interesting interior spaces and the observation deck a long time ago. It's not even going to have a cool lobby. And while the building is going to be tall and it might be nice looking, for 99% of people it's just going to be another downtown skyscraper, while the Ren Cen's arrangement of towers makes it more distinctive.

I do agree though that the Ren Cen is way below its peak potential right now.

[Metro25]

It's not even going to have a cool lobby.

Where are you getting this from??

There will be plenty of interactivity since the whole thing will be lined in retail and likely a grocery store.

[EGrant]

Where are you getting this from??

There will be plenty of interactivity since the whole thing will be lined in retail and likely a grocery store.

I'd rather have ground floor retail than a near-empty lobby [[like the RenCen) any day.

[Jason]

Where are you getting this from??

There will be plenty of interactivity since the whole thing will be lined in retail and likely a grocery store.

The diagrams show where the office entrance is going to be and based on that it's just going to be a small interior space [[presumably attractive but not notably so) that leads to the elevators. There's also no programming reason to have large spaces, like the Guardian which is a bank branch or the Fisher which is a shopping mall.

The building will be interactive in the urban sense, in that it will have an active street level, but it won't be interactive in the landmark sense. It's not like Rockefeller Center, where you can go ice skating, or go to the observation deck, or go to an NBC taping, or to radio city, and where the design and arrangement of the buildings is iconic. There you can experience things that are intrinsic to its landmarkness. Yes at Rockefeller Center you can go shopping, but the shopping part isn't what makes it a landmark experience, a store is a store. Like, have those buildings on Woodward now become landmarks because they have an H&M in them? Hudsons isn't really creating "place" in terms of a person's qualitative experience it's more like a tall urban infill project than a landmark. And that's all fine, it's just that it's not really competing in the "iconic Detroit landmark" category.