Largest Michigan based bank is putting their headquarters smack dab in the city. Corner of Woodward and Elizabeth to get a new 20 story building to house over 500 employees. Absouletely terrific news. Great locations, new building, new employees.
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...nging-500-plus
Great news for Detroit and even though the headquarters is moving it doesn't sound like it will be a huge loss for Midland as it states they will keep staffing levels the same there.
Taking bets on which will be completed first. LC's new HQ or this HQ. :rolleyes:
Very exciting and I hope they follow thru!
Rendering, hot off the presses.
Attachment 36225
It's not that big a lot, I wonder if they're going to incorporate the back of the Michigan Mutual Building...Quote:
Originally Posted by EGrant
Great news.Quote:
Originally Posted by dtowncitylover
The rendering basically implies the giant parking ramp building for Grand Park Centre is going away. Note this ramp [[which looks like a building) is on Elizabeth Street but is directly attached and connected over the alley to the large Grand Park Centre building which is on Adams facing Grand Circus Park.
Long story short, one existing building is losing its attached parking garage, but it looks like the new garage will be bigger with an expanded footprint going to Woodward, with the HQ built above.
I am guessing there will be some arrangement for Grand Park Centre occupants to park in this new ramp, and wonder if a connection will be rebuilt. Again though, great news for the city. I just wish they could “hide” the parking ramp portion better on the Woodward frontage.
Added: The other interesting tidbit is that the HVAC for the Grand Park Centre is above the mentioned attached parking ramp that is going away. I wonder how that aspect will work out also. In any event, I hope this project also “activates” the alley between Elizabeth and Adams, like many of Gilbert’s projects have been doing recently.
Thanks for the clarification! I've never really studied that building before, but this is indeed good news.Quote:
Originally Posted by Atticus
Awesome news to see another parking lot gone and a building that contributes to the tax base of the city replacing it.
Great for Detroit and for Michigan.
I'll take bets that this is finished before Little Caesars.
We're probably at least two years out from this building being done. If they can't finish the LC HQ in that time, then something will really have gone wrong. Who's the resident bookie on this forum?
so is this new building spanning all the way back to cliff bells :confused:Quote:
The new building is slated to have not only office space, but also retail, parking and luxury condominiums.
Rename Comerica Park as Chemical Bank Park. At least they have a HQ right here in Michigan.
Anyways, that is awesome news. Man, how the hell are all these projects going to be staffed with all of them coming online now? There must be a lot of out of state tradesmen that will be brought in for these massive jobs.
Summer nights at The Chem have a certain ring to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeg19
The rendering makes it appear like it will only include the surface lot adjacent to Woodward, and the previously mentioned garage behind Grand Park Centre. It appears like both Cliffs Bells and the surface lot behind Cliffs Bells are outside the project limits.Quote:
Originally Posted by hybridy
It's amazing to me that a bank is building a dedicated hq [[for the purposes of PR and recruitment etc) and an architecture firm is getting to design an hq midrise in a prominent location... and this is what they all came up with and they're all happy with it. Why is Detroit so awful at designing things and why is Detroit so oblivious to the fact that it's so awful at designing things? It's like a husband has been teasing his wife for weeks about the delicious meal he's going to cook for their anniversary and the night finally comes and he picked up McDonalds, but it's been sitting on the counter for an hour so he had to microwave it, and she brags to her coworkers about it the next day.
They also need to tell their employees that they're going to be in a downtown and that they're going to have to walk. The building is right next to the People Mover and the Q-Line. The building doesn't need to be 1/3rd parking garage. They don't seem to consider this site to be valuable enough to maximize the money making part of the building [[offices) over parking. Can you even call it a bank hq when there's more garage than hq?
Overall great news though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EGrant
I bet we get a lot more "visitors".
I wouldn't put too much stock into the rendering. I am sure the parking component is accurate but it looks to me like they slapped something together for an announcement, otherwise we would be given a lot more views and looks of the structure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason
I agree that the parking taking up so much of the structure is a sad commentary on the city and the state of public transit. Sadly Detroit isn't close to that tipping point where developers can assume that the people occupying the building will live in the city or live sans automobile.
Renderings rarely look worse than the finished product. The goal of the rendering is to woo the viewers.Quote:
Originally Posted by southen
That being said, regrettably I understand why that much parking is “deemed” needed. I understand the business side, and the parking is needed to make the development happen. That all being said, couldn’t the architect have come up with anything better to cover or hide the parking floors?
I would even be in favor of the faux windows we used to see in 1990s architecture. Anything to make it less glaring... please. Again, I understand why the parking has to be there, but why can’t the outside of the building at least allow us to pretend it isn’t there?
I'm not sure what they're moving. According to the Midland Daily News, they are going to retain their 500 person staff in Midland.
https://www.ourmidland.com/news/arti...photo-15916310
The parking is for two building I doubt the Mutual building is would sell their garage without those spaces being replaced
It looks like a leftover of the Meridian building that thankfully never happened on the Monroe block.
Raises the age-old discussion: should we be thankful for any and all development, or have we reached a tipping point where we should demand more from an architectural perspective?
I vote for the second one.Quote:
Originally Posted by EGrant
When I saw the story, my first thought was that the Ilitch's gave up on their building and planned to sell it to Chemical Bank -- it looks somewhat similar, and mentally its in the same part of town. Glad to see its a new building, and hope all those hot and ready's I've been buying finally get put to use two doors down sooner rather than later.
So basically what happened is they bought Talmor Bancorp in 2016, and this office building is going to consolidate those offices. They already have 100 employees downtown [[idk if these are Chemical employees or old Talmor employees), and then there's however many old Talmor employees spread around in the suburbs. And then there's employees that they expect to hire because they're trying to expand their business in the Detroit area.Quote:
Originally Posted by douglasm
Only the first four floors [[and possibly the three basement levels) of the ten floor annex building are parking. The rest is office space.Quote:
Originally Posted by Atticus
Looks like they will be able to host a sweet Tiger's game viewing party or two from that perched outdoor space.
Nice. Hope all or most employees decide to stay in the area.
PS. Look at most downtown skylines and you’ll notice it’s littered with banks and insurance companies. Could be the start of something big.
Interesting. I did not know that about the upper floors. Do you know if they are currently occupied, and by whom? If so, I wonder where those occupants will be relocated to.Quote:
Originally Posted by NSortzi
I'm not sure if they're currently used or not. If they are, I hope they're offered space in the new Chemical Bank building or relocated into Grand Park Centre instead of leaving the city. I'd imagine some of the parking garage space in the new build will be used for Grand Park Centre as well. Will be interesting to see if they connect the two via skybridge or not.
This is where I got the information on the annex building. Interesting to note it was one of the few taller buildings in Detroit completed in the '50s.
So, I am all about good design.. I work in it. But this building for that particular site is not that bad. It is not good, but it is not bad. If you have ever been to Tokyo [[where I am currently living temporarily) or even Berlin, you will notice that they have successfully put functionality over design and it has worked for them. Our city is not yet in a position to be nitpicky over every single development. If we can get great design on the prime pieces of property first, like Hudson Block and Monroe Block [[unfortunately the same didn't happen for Statler Site), I think that sets a new precedent for future design. That time will come and I think it already has for our smaller developments and renovations, just look around Corktown and Midtown, and you can see a clear difference in design between developments that occurred in the mid-2000s and the new developments occurring now.
Yeah that name for a bank is off-puting as it is!
Quote:
Originally Posted by EGrant
I agree with others - glad for a new building, and neither love nor hate for the design. I doubt anyone's going to mourn the Borg-like Michigan Mutual Annex.
I have to ask, though. As this new wave of buildings age, will the cantilevered roofs start falling, like the old cornices back in the '50s?
*Talmer*...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zacha341
I don't know, in my younger days I spent many a night in Chemical Park.
In most cases the cornices were stone simply hanging on their own strength. These modern cantilevered structures are made of steel with a significant amount of support. I'm not saying the materials covering them wont need to be repaired or maintained, but the actual structure itself should hold for well longer than the lifespan of the building.Quote:
Originally Posted by archfan
As to the name, remember where the bank is now based. I don't know what the relationship with Dow Chemical was [[or is), but I assume it was very strong.
I'm going to assume that the relationship has winded down some since the Dow-DuPont merger. The combined companies are currently run out of both Wilmington, Del. and Midland, Mich., but I would expect that to change some when they split into 3 companies next year.
Now, here's a question for the masses. Is It CHEMICAL BANK that's moving to Detroit, CHEMICAL FINANCIAL CORPORATION [[the bank holding company) or both that are moving to Detroit. They've already announced that their 500 strong Midland staff will remain there.
Buildings are constructed better nowadays, so sadly all of these dumb "hats" will be with us for a very long time.Quote:
Originally Posted by archfan
The old cornices fell off because they were poorly designed and poorly constructed. The tops of the cornices leaked into the insides and rotted or rusted them out. Maintenance might have been an issue, but these buildings were only 20-30 years old at the time, so even without stellar maintenance, they shouldn't have been falling off.
Chemical Financial. Chemical Bank of Grandma Seinfeld fame was out of NYC and is no longer in existence.Quote:
Originally Posted by douglasm
Good news for sure but I would agree that with the new building and HQ relocation/recent acquisitions it would be good timing for some branding improvement with a new name.
Will the ground floor be a branch office of the bank?
I agree. I had no idea that Chemical Bank was the largest bank headquartered in Michigan. It's an odd name, the only thing it makes me think of is that episode from Seinfeld when Nana overdraws her account at Chemical Bank.Quote:
Originally Posted by ABetterDetroit
It sounds like this building will be part garage? I hope not, I'd prefer building on Woodward Avenue to be underground parking only. I also hope the first floor is retail\banking, even if it's just a bank branch. It's really important to have Woodward lines with stores.
I'm not in love with the rendering, but I don't hate it either. It's tall, it's streetwall, it looks like it has first floor retail, it checks many of the boxes for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EGrant
Quote:
Originally Posted by Honky Tonk
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zacha341
Better living through chemistry...Quote:
Originally Posted by Honky Tonk
Well, Midland; Dow Chemical...Quote:
Originally Posted by Zacha341
Apparently, even Midland is not too sure what's going on:
http://www.abc12.com/content/news/Ch...489158711.htmlQuote:
"It's a little bit unclear to Midland, we haven't really had direct conversations with Chemical Bank," said Brad Kaye, Midland's city manager. "Initially with the merger that took place back in 2016 the comments that came from Chemical Bank was that the headquarters would stay here in Midland, they've not carried through on that and so we're disappointed in that. But at the same time we recognize that they're looking for growth throughout the Midwest and not just Midland itself."
The name is not really that weird. Ever heard of M&T Bank? It's a large regional bank based in Buffalo that operates in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states. The M&T stands for Manufacturers and Trade.Quote:
Originally Posted by 48307
I'm also just old enough to [[barely) remember Detroit's Manufacturers Bank, which merged with Comerica Bank to create the current incarnation of Comerica. I believe the Comerica logo still being used today actually came from Manufacturers.
I believe Manufacturer's merged with Detroit Bank and Trust to become Comerica.
The shape and color of the current logo was in fact Manufacturer's
Oops. Comerica had already changed it name from Detroit Bank and Trust before it merged with Manufacturers.
Whenever I hear "Chemical Bank" I think of a brief quip from Firesign Theatre.
It went something like: "I gave them my money and they gave me a beaker of chemicals." :D
The plans call for ground floor retail, a few levels of parking, Chemical Bank office floors, and the upper floors will have either more office space or condominiums.Quote:
Originally Posted by 48307
I'm sure Chemical Bank will have a branch on the ground floor. I imagine we'll start seeing more branches pop up in Detroit and the suburbs.
The Historic District Commision recently approved the demo of 25 W Elizabeth
https://detroitmi.gov/media/19671
cant wait for this to get completed before Little Caesars HQ
I work in Grand Park Centre....going to miss the parking garage while this is being built
We'll have a really nice street wall on the west side of Woodward once this is complete! Too bad about the other side...
Looks like we have some more fleshed out renderings for what they will be building. These may still be a placeholder but the DEGC is using them. Nice infill but pretty uninspiring. Hopefully the material choices will make it a bit more interesting.
Attachment 37345
how widespread is chemical bank in southeast Michigan? I haven't heard of them being in Detroit proper yet.
They are about this widespread in SEM:Quote:
Originally Posted by Hypestyles
Attachment 37347
They didn’t have a metro Detroit presence until they recently merged with Talmer bank.Quote:
Originally Posted by 48307
One of the main reasons for moving to Detroit is to establish a presence there. I suspect the City put out a bid that if any bank moved their HQ to the city, they would get the city's business. Probably between Flagstar and Chemical and Chemical took them upQuote:
Originally Posted by Hypestyles
That makes sense. I'm with the others, I haven't really heard much of Chemical Bank outside of it being referred to in an episode of Seinfeld.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rock N Rye
Which was actually a different financial institution altogether.Quote:
Originally Posted by 48307
So they did what I was hoping they'd do, move that parking off Woodward, which gets rid of that ugly and awkward parking screen. This is an improvement.Quote:
Originally Posted by southen
They seem to be getting the City's business. I was aware ofQuote:
Originally Posted by JonWylie
JP Morgan Chase having the City's business and prior to them,
Comerica had the City's business. From Crain's:
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/articl...anking-partner
Are you sure? They got rid of the screen, but the white tiles on the bottom 10ish floors could still be covering up parking.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dexlin
Still looks like there might be parking on the bottom floors.
That's what the screen is for; the parking isn't going anywhere. This looks different than this, which I'd guess is closer to reality:
https://www.detroityes.com/mb/attach...5&d=1547556984
Looks like a fairly budget friendly metal screen with green uplighting.
The DEGC poster has a very early sketch up blocking design. That poster was made in PowerPoint by some $15/hr person with an outdated jpeg from an old email. I would not take stock in those schemes whatsoever.
It was reported that because some employees of the old TCF bank would be moving to the new HQ in Detroit, the height of the new building would increase, but this rendering does not show an height jump.Quote:
Originally Posted by hybridy
Right, this is not what the building is ultimately going to look like, anymore.
The initial plan talked about apartments in the tower, perhaps they traded out residential component for more office...no additional height needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by masterblaster
Why are you so hard up on this bad design being the final one? You better be hoping they fix this sorry architecture.
This isn't the final design.
I’m looking forward to hearing what the final height will be. If they still add residential floors plus the addition of more office floors we could be looking at something 30+ floors.
I think it’d be equally as great if they got the Fine Arts Building facade from the Ilitches and expanded the site to the Adams Theatre site, incorporated the Fine Arts facade and the narrow site between the Kales Building and Fine Arts.
Updated renderings
https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitm...f%20Report.pdf
https://i.imgur.com/gcTs536.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by JonWylie
https://i.imgur.com/a7hMN52.jpg
Thanks Hybridy!
I like the new renderings much better than the previous ones. I count 19 floors. I think it's a great size for that location.
The building height increased by 20 ft. from 291 ft. to 311 ft. [[much of it elevator shaft related). I count 20 floors... 11 parking and 9 office space.
The south elevation [[alley) doesn't show any connection to the Grand Park Centre [[former Michigan Mutual Building). Does this mean that the occupants of that building will have to find [[or build?) new parking?
I wish they would have shown how the view from Grand Circus Park would look towards the bank building, where the 14 story Fyfe Bldg. and the Grand Park Centre obstructs any view of the bank.
Looked like there was some activity at this site today. There were some orange barriers put up and Elizabeth St partially blocked off.
Height increased to 311'. Updated renderings all around.
https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitm...f%20Report.pdf
Not an inspiring design but it will be nice to have that space filled with some height.
I like the addition of a rooftop terrace. It looks pretty good. Looking forward to seeing it as an addition to the skyline.
Good to see the population of office workers push North of Grand Circus Park.
I agree about a lack of inspiration.... but it will be hemmed in on most sides by other buildings with the top showing thru...Quote:
Originally Posted by southen
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3364...7i16384!8i8192
This building would have found a better home on the Tuller site, next to the United Artists Building, but the Ilitches haven't sold a single parcel of land that they have acquired in 30+ years.
But I guess this will have to do...
Anyone know if the ground floor is going to have lease space for retail/restaurant? Is it going to be a TCF branch?
It looks like there will be a TCF Bank along Woodward. Not sure about the Elizabeth side past the parking entry/exit. W. Elizabeth has a lot of dead space with the outer side wall of the Fillmore on one side. Other ground floor commercial space would likely have a rough time along the south side of W. Elizabeth.Quote:
Originally Posted by hybridy
Am I the only one who thinks the fact that half the building's height is parking is funny?
I sorta agree... but I wonder if part of the parking is for the displaced parking spaces taken away when Grand Park Centre's Annex [[former Michigan Mutual Annex parking) is razed?Quote:
Originally Posted by casscorridor
Nope! You’re not the only one 😂😆Quote:
Originally Posted by casscorridor
The bank that bought the naming rights on what used to be cobo center...after their multi-billion dollar merger with chemical bank, making them the largest headquartered financial institution in Michigan....is building an HQ in Detroit that literally only has 8 floors for office and 12 for parking. Only in Detroit. Is it better than nothing? Yes yes and yes. But it’s kind of a letdown and it’s comical, in an annoyed, only-in-Detroit sort of mindset when you look at it.
It’s 9 floors of office and 10 floors of parking, with ground floor retail.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmberko11
Unfortunately this project would have a hard time being built without the parking element. We don't have great regional mass transit and we're absolutely car-centric. I wish that wasn't the case, but developers have to deal in reality, and the reality of this region is cars, cars cars.
Depending on the the parking structure is build [[flat parking levels with a speed ramp), the parking levels could be built out in the future. I prefer they stack the parking under the office, rather than build a 10-story deck next to a 9-story office.Quote:
Originally Posted by JK313
It's because the city requires it. Not the developers.Quote:
Originally Posted by EGrant
http://www.dailydetroit.com/2019/05/...-detroit-mess/
yeah, me too. It's still a good project. I like the newer rendering better. Parking garage is hidden very well. Looks solidQuote:
Originally Posted by hybridy
I think the current site is better than the Tuller for this type of development. It helps to complete that street wall on the west side of Woodward.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gistok
I think Grand Circus Park is better off ringed by residential, as it is primarily now.
If they had changed the design a little, you could have had 19 floors of both, and parked next to your desk.Quote:
Originally Posted by JK313
https://www.parkingtoday.com/article...-parking-spaceQuote:
Originally Posted by archfan
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external...18747699&row=3
Found this on the faa website.
Nice find! Has anyone heard when demolition of the existing building is supposed to start?Quote:
Originally Posted by JK313
They have had some windows popped out with dumpsters being filled and hauled off site for several weeks now. I would imagine that process will take a while. Then the deconstruction of the building will have to be very deliberately done, due to it's proximity to other structures.Quote:
Originally Posted by ILKSGAMI
Good find. So the construction crain will be 460’ tall. Anyone know what the actual building height is supposed to be? Obviously it will be less than 460’ based on this.Quote:
Originally Posted by JK313
There was another entry stating the building height was 291ft. Although the latest renderings said it was increased to 311ft so i’m not sureQuote:
Originally Posted by Atticus
311 feetQuote:
Originally Posted by Atticus