Dan Gilbert: Detroit needs auto-themed tourist attraction

"Quicken Loans billionaire Dan Gilbert today called for the creation of an automotive-themed tourist destination in Detroit.
Gilbert said he has considered hiring an executive from Universal Studios or Disney to help formulate a proposal, but he is not pitching a theme park.
“We have to leverage the sexiness of the car, which we’ve had a hard time doing in the past,” Gilbert said.

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Gilbert also argued that Detroit’s annual North American International Auto Show should lure more technology companies away from the annual Consumer Electronics Show that is also held in early January in Las Vegas.

The two events in some years have overlapped. Many automakers make major announcements at CES instead of Detroit.

Speaking at a forum tied to the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, Gilbert said he’s talked with other Detroit business leaders about a “technology hall” during the Detroit auto show at Cobo Center.

He also suggested that the annual Woodward Dream Cruise in Oakland County could be dramatically expanded, though he didn't offer specific ideas.

More than a “million people are willing to come to southeast Michigan on a hot muggy August weekend, in essence, to see nothing,” Gilbert said. “What I mean by that is they’re bringing their own thing. Imagine if there was a something. We might get 2.8 million.”


His appearance Wednesday came a day after he took part in disclosing the Detroit blight study, which called for the removal of 40,000 abandoned and blighted buildings."

We need to build a permanent race track for nascar, attach a museum to it, make it a destination. Have the big 3 loan there products to the museum, add some rides and a hotel or 2. It not like we don't have the space, also not to far from downtown, have a trolley stop there.

We definitely do not need a NASCAR track in the city...we already have MIS relatively close. What we need is some type of highly interactive, engaging, "experience" that explores cutting edge technologies with cars. I'm not smart enough to think it out, but I don't think it even needs a track or anything...could be contained within a building. We have plenty of auto history to explore at The Henry Ford, but an attraction in the city that is super cool and cutting-edge would be great.

why not have a track in the "Motor City"? It not like we dont have the freakin room.

Seriously, they should get a track and move the racing from Belle Isle to this new track.

People from cross the world need a reason to visit detroit, this would be a reason, you know what else would be kool a horse track w live racing.

The area already has the Henry Ford museum.

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Originally Posted by unclefrank

The area already has the Henry Ford museum.

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I don't think Henry Ford/Greenfield Village is the same thing as a major auto-related attraction. It's more a general museum of American technology and innovation. They could be very complimentary attractions; I would also suggest a joint ticketing system for the two institutions. I think Detroit could host a huge, multifaceted space that could house exhibits on: the history of the Big 3 [[and all the little car companies), the history of cars and changing American life [[in peace as well as war), how cars were and are designed and built, and a permanent [[but changing) display of prototypes. Also, there could be hundreds of classic cars on display, an attraction unto itself. It could attract everything from school groups to auto enthusiasts to people in town for something else looking to spend a few hours. Lots of company towns have museums for the hometown industry. The fact that we don't is kind of hard to believe. Ideally, such an attraction would be built near but not in the midtown/ downtown corridor, and feature both new construction and the incorporation of an old factory or two.

As for NASCAR, I'm not opposed, but I don't know where exactly you'd put it; additionally, such tracks draw huge crowds, but not very frequently.

I think the Woodward Dream Cruise should be an even larger event. It should be America's annual classic car reunion, and it should run into the city of Detroit, although probably not downtown. Maybe it should start/end at Grand Blvd.

I like how Dan Gilbert keeps throwing out big ideas. They may not all be winners, but winners need to think both big and outside the box.

Agreed, unclefrank. This current generation of kids of or near driving age aren't interested in cars. They would be the group you would want to go after for museum visitors. Henry Ford/Rouge Plant tour covers that need right now. I'm 50 and I'm not that interested in a car museum because I've been there, done that. Some of us still remember Flint's AutoWorld and its demise. No need to repeat history.

Other that the birth of the auto industry, we don't have much in the way of history. You have to go back to the War of 1812, and few people know anything about that. Look how much attention Historic Fort Wayne gets.

Other that the birth of the auto industry, we don't have much in the way of history. You have to go back to the War of 1812, and few people know anything about that. Look how much attention Historic Fort Wayne gets.

Detroit has lots of interesting history, both automotive and non-automotive. If the exhibit is compelling, people will go. We have major industrial, labor, ethnic and entertainment histories in our city [[and state). Stories to tell, large and small. I still think Detroit should be home to a Native American museum [[the one in NYC is only okay, the one in DC is insultingly terrible). We produced far more war materiel than New Orleans, which only has the WW2 Museum because they decided to build it there. Lots of interesting people have lived and worked here; a lot of events of note and import have occurred here. History is storyteling; there are lots of stories to tell here.

I would disagree, the Henry Ford is mostly about innovation and how it improved transportation. GM teamed up with Disney for Epcot, and Disney also has expanded California to include cars.

Nah best if we team up with Six Flags. They did such a fine job with Autoworld.

If I were in charge I'd make the place up in Googie style and push roadside diners from the 1930's-1950's.

Hey MikeyinBrooklyn, they just opened a small museum in St. Claire Shores devoted to the WW2 production story. I haven't been there yet, but a couple friends who do WW2 reenacting attended the grand opening in uniform.

We pay for the Zoo, the DIA and SMART with small property taxes. People love these taxes and love to increase them because it is the right thing to do.

So, another property tax to pay for an auto museum could bring in more jobs, help reinvigorate our local economy and get more people to come to Detroit

Detroit Historical Museum has an automotive exhibit.

http://detroithistorical.org/detroit...99s-motor-city

Does every city need a museum chronicling their greatest past success to do well? I would say it's largely irrelevant - cool if you have it, but that's about it. I'm starting to wonder if Dan Gilbert's drive to revitalize Detroit is partially a delusion of grandeur. He thinks by owning a big chunk of the downtown of what was once a top 5 American city, he can somehow cement his legacy as an important person. "I didn't just act as a glorified middle man for loans, son - I OWN THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE AUTOMOBILE!"

I'm starting to realize only Detroiters would buy into that mythology. The rest of the country isn't enamored with our past as we think.

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Originally Posted by That Great Guy

We pay for the Zoo, the DIA and SMART with small property taxes. People love these taxes and love to increase them because it is the right thing to do.

So, another property tax to pay for an auto museum could bring in more jobs, help reinvigorate our local economy and get more people to come to Detroit

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You really are a one trick pony. Who said anything about taxes? If Gilbert wants it, let him figure out a way to build something that will generate jobs and income. The private sector is not tapped enough to do things that will allow this City and region to flourish.

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Originally Posted by unclefrank

The area already has the Henry Ford museum.

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As amazing as it is, It's static. As someone pointed out we need something much more interactive that allows the public to better understand the cutting edge technology of cars.

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Originally Posted by wolverine

As amazing as it is, It's static. As someone pointed out we need something much more interactive that allows the public to better understand the cutting edge technology of cars.

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Have you been there lately??? The auto area has been redone recently and uses a whole bunch of I pad type stuff. That is pretty interactive. It also has a section for alt fuel vehicles and a makers faire. http://www.thehenryford.org/events/makerFaire.aspx

Gilbert must have missed this opportunity.
http://www.mshf.com/press-releases/d...-new-home.html

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Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

You really are a one trick pony. Who said anything about taxes? If Gilbert wants it, let him figure out a way to build something that will generate jobs and income. The private sector is not tapped enough to do things that will allow this City and region to flourish.

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Look how well the new hockey stadium worked out for the taxpayers.

Caveat Emptor! Flint, the birthplace of GM, spent millions on Autorama an auto related theme park in downtown Flint then razed it a few years later. Save your money and put it into something more viable like Belle Isle.

I am surprised with all the whining that goes on here about the event, not one of you brought up that we already have the largest auto tourist attraction in the world. The Woodward Dream Cruise is a week of non static interactive[[sometimes) automotive history. What is nice we do not have to pay for a a building that most likely will become abandoned in a short period of time. Also for one week out of the year the world does pay attention to our history. That is long enough and after that week we can go back to crying about the really "important" problems with the metro area.

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Originally Posted by piczka

Caveat Emptor! Flint, the birthplace of GM, spent millions on Autorama an auto related theme park in downtown Flint then razed it a few years later. Save your money and put it into something more viable like Belle Isle.

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There are a million reasons why Autorama was a failure, a great many of which wouldn't be applicable to Detroit. Among them: it was in Flint, not Detroit. Millions more people live in or nearer Detroit than Flint, and infinitely more people visit, for business or pleasure. Detroit also has many other museums, entertainment venues, hotels, etc. Most travelling visitors to an auto destination will also want to do other things on their trip, too. Detroit clearly has much more to do than Flint. Also, while Flint is GM's birthplace, Detroit has the greatest density of auto-related people, places and things in the world. Detroit will also have a lot more sources for donations [[of both money and artifacts, including cars) than Flint did.

Autorama was also a cheeseball name. Americans love cars. They also love old cars, high technology vehicles, and history. We could definitely put those elements together into a compelling museum.

I don't think a "Detroit Auto Museum" or whatever it would be called should be government funded. Money is already kind of tight in these parts. Also, government money always comes with strings attached. That could drown the baby museum before it has a chance to become anything. It should be a non-profit, and vigorously fundraise, especially from the auto industry [[including suppliers, dealers, advertisers, etc). Of course, they would also need to solicit people to give or long-term loan classic cars and other artifacts that are now in private hands. Where the government could be a help is in helping to organize transit & parking, and making the land acquisition and permitting fast and easy.