John Portman RenCen Architect Dead at 93

[dtowncitylover]

New York Times is reporting that John Portman, the architect of the Renaissance Center, has died at 93. We all have our opinions about the building and therefore opinions about the man himself. RIP, Mr. Portman.

[Danny]

I'm glad that Portman designed the Ren Cen. That super skyscraper marks the symbol of Detroit and its re-birth from regional ruin.

[Malcove Magnesia]

He also designed the miniature Ren Cen in downtown Los Angeles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westin_Bonaventure_Hotel

And the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco where I used to do some work:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embarcadero_Center

Seems like his heyday was the 70's.

[Gistok]

RIP John Portman....

I know that many have criticized Portman's layout for the RenCen and the issue of getting lost. Ever since I first visited the center at the ribbon cutting in 1977, with Coleman Young and Henry Ford II leading the charge, I studied the layout brochure, and realized that it is a circle with 4 outlying octagons, with hallways that follow the perimeters of the octagons as well as crossing thru diagonally.

Perhaps not everyone's brain is wired to think that way, especially in today's GPS-centric world of travel... but I have never gotten lost there since I remembered the general layout does not have right angles, except when viewed diagonally.

I bet people have similar issues with L'Enfant's plans for the Washington D.C. street grid, and maybe Portman thought people would overcome any initial confusion. Guess not.

[One Shot]

RIP
I think the Ren Cen was and still is a cool building. Unlike the standard box shape that defines every other, the Ren Cen stands out. I still enjoy walking the interior and getting occasionally lost. Thanks for thinking outside the box!

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I believe he built the Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta as well. It's similar to the Ren Cen.

[emu steve]

RIP John Portman....

I know that many have criticized Portman's layout for the RenCen and the issue of getting lost. Ever since I first visited the center at the ribbon cutting in 1977, with Coleman Young and Henry Ford II leading the charge, I studied the layout brochure, and realized that it is a circle with 4 outlying octagons, with hallways that follow the perimeters of the octagons as well as crossing thru diagonally.

Perhaps not everyone's brain is wired to think that way, especially in today's GPS-centric world of travel... but I have never gotten lost there since I remembered the general layout does not have right angles, except when viewed diagonally.

I bet people have similar issues with L'Enfant's plans for the Washington D.C. street grid, and maybe Portman thought people would overcome any initial confusion. Guess not.

Interesting discussion.

I always assumed the human brain, functioning at its least ability, understood grid layouts with say mile roads [[think of S.E. MI), an east/west divide [[again S.E. MI, and also Capitol St. in D.C. which divides east from west). I always like driving D.C. streets because of the East/West and North/South divides and quadrants. 1400 K.Street N.W. must be K. Street at 14th Street in the N.W. quadrant of D.C. If one goes 2 blocks west it should be 1600 K. Street, N.W. No GPS required. If one goes 2 blocks north it would be M street.

My car doesn't have GPS [[didn't see the need) but does show directions I'm traveling [[N, NW, NE, etc.). Give me an address for the most part.

[401don]

They could place a little monument for him in the Ren Cen but then no one would ever find it.

[Zacha341]

Yes, I've seen it! It's a single reflective window flanked tube-like tower just like the central tower of the ren-cen. I saw it before it was repaired after a bad tornado that hit the ATL and after. Nice building!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westin...laza_Hotel.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westin...ee_Plaza_Hotel

I believe he built the Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta as well. It's similar to the Ren Cen.

[softailrider]

Nice buildings from the outside but I always had a sense of dread when I actually had to go there, the parking sucked, most of the time I couldn’t figure out where to go. It wasn’t like the Penobscot building or the Fisher building where, for me anyway, they were more enjoyable places to visit.

[3WC]

I love the Ren Cen and had my Detroit office there for several years.

However, one of the unintended consequences of its development was that it devastated the downtown Detroit office market and started the inexorable decline of downtown. It introduced 2 million sq ft of office space where there was no demand for it. It sucked tenants from the Ford Building, Commonwealth Building, Fisher Building and Penobscot, all of which eventually ended up in foreclosure, receivership, or which were sold at great losses to the owners.

It was probably one of the worst real estate deals in Detroit history from a financial standpoint; The owners, besides Ford, were 53 other companies that did business with Ford, and the two other Big Three, all of which had to take office space in the project for 5 years [[after which they all vacated.) The project was financed by Ford Motor Credit, Aetna, and two other lenders. The owner's equity was wiped out and the lenders all took a bath.

Al Taubman and Henry II were driving around the project while they were digging the basement and Al told Henry: "Henry, fill it in and drop the whole idea. It will be a financial disaster for Ford Motor and Detroit." You can read the whole story in Taubman's autobiography, "Threshold Resistance."

[Jason]

To me the most interesting thing about Portman is that he was both an architect and a developer. Normally there's a dynamic between the developer and architect where certain things are incentivized or disincentivized. But he was an architect who was both spending and making his own money through his designs.

For the Ren Cen in particular as far as I know he wasn't involved on the developer side. The fact that he wasn't, when they were trying to get everyone and their brother to invest in it, probably says something.

The Ren Cen is pretty mixed but it's hard to imagine Detroit without it.

[stasu1213]

I had always thought that the original interior layout of the RenCen was model after Woodward Plan model for the layout of Detroit

[gnome]

I worked there several years and really liked it but it was frighteningly confusing to the casual visitor.

I often escorted lost groups of jurors back across Jefferson to the City/County building before it had a name change.

[mtburb]

I myself have had found myself walking around in circles just to find the food court or the bathrooms while I was in the RenCen, never decided to go to the very top though.

[Nero]

Nero can't help but wonder if the new Hudsons Tower and Monroe Block is just another Renaissance Center; the Q Line another People Mover.

History does not repeat, but it sure does rhyme.

[TKshreve]

Had the pleasure of working here recently during the central makeover that should be nearing completion, if not already. It will be much more open and allow visitors to see across the central tower area with much greater ease.

While I did need a few weeks to get my bearing, if you make a couple signs/stair cases/elevators and such "designated markers", you'll have it down pat in no time.

Also, I read this article last night: https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...ter/995334001/

It doesn't paint the rosiest picture of him, however it provided me a glimpse into an unfamiliar, yet nostalgic era of Detroit that happened immediately before I was born. The one in which my fathers generation came into adulthood, and a new era that forever changed the skyline and culture of this city.

[Scottathew]

RIP Mr. Portman. Hopefully he died knowing that his work defines the identity of Detroit.

I've never worked in the RenCen, but it's not that complicated.

Four corner towers. 100, 200, 300, 400

Three public levels:
River
Jefferson
People Mover and Skywalk

Boom, I know all I need to know to navigate the public areas of the RenCen.

[MrChrome]

Had the pleasure of working here recently during the central makeover that should be nearing completion, if not already. It will be much more open and allow visitors to see across the central tower area with much greater ease.

Got any insider info on the renovation? It seems to have taken a long time but visually is not that impressive. Was there a lot of behind the scenes work that isn't immediately visible?

[TKshreve]

Got any insider info on the renovation? It seems to have taken a long time but visually is not that impressive. Was there a lot of behind the scenes work that isn't immediately visible?

Well, they hung [[8) oversize LED screens, which have been mounted to the original concrete pillars that surround the central hotel elevator core. They installed a rotating platform on the ground level that should have GM vehicles on it, which revolves around the same aforementioned center base.

The floors we're redone in Terrazzo, and the numerous lounging pods were all resurfaced and shored up. Considerable mechanical and electrical updates were improved throughout the center tower as well. I was off that project before they unveiled the final product, therefore I cannot comment on whether it has been entirely unveiled yet or not.

[MrChrome]

Well, they hung [[8) oversize LED screens, which have been mounted to the original concrete pillars that surround the central hotel elevator core. They installed a rotating platform on the ground level that should have GM vehicles on it, which revolves around the same aforementioned center base.

The floors we're redone in Terrazzo, and the numerous lounging pods were all resurfaced and shored up. Considerable mechanical and electrical updates were improved throughout the center tower as well. I was off that project before they unveiled the final product, therefore I cannot comment on whether it has been entirely unveiled yet or not.

Thanks for the info. The tarps are down and it looks like it will open any day now. They are moving the cars into position.

It's definitely cool, but not substantially different from what they had before. I think a lot of people will just think that they installed the screens and changed the flooring.

[One Shot]

That’s too bad. Was hoping for more. I too seen some of the not yet complete work and didn’t think it was that different either.

[Maof]

I worked for a large insurance company in the RenCen from 1980 thru 1991. Occupied two floors in tower 200. We had views of the river and downtown from Jefferson and beyond. It was a great place to work especially when the Grand Prix started in 1982. Needless to say, during the Grand Prix, work was put to the side when we had a view of the race from all angles. Parking, at the time, was not an issue. There was free parking along the riverfront with shuttle buses running consistently to take you up to riverfront entrance.

Most tobacco stores, restaurants, convenience/pharmacies, were along the main walkway within the building [[including the main floor, one flight up and one flight down the escalators). Now, there were several men's and woman's clothing stores that, if you weren't familiar or did not work in the building, would not know they were there. These stores were set back behind the main walkways blocked by a wall, almost like they had it's own little entrance.

[TKshreve]

Most tobacco stores, restaurants, convenience/pharmacies stores were along the main walkway within the building [[main floor, one flight up and one flight down the escalators). Now, there were several men's and woman's clothing stores that, if you weren't familiar or did not work in the building, would not know they were there. These stores were set back behind the main walkways blocked by a wall, almost like they had it's own little entrance.

I spent some time fervently searching the interwebs for pictures and layouts of the original internal design of the Ren Cen. I did find one site [[https://www.bluffton.edu/homepages/f...n/rencen2.html) which provided the most pictures. Seems to be not very well documented. That said, I believe that the greater portion of renovation and redesign was performed in 2005/08[[?) when GM purchased and moved into the building. Those connecting spiral staircases have been removed. I can somewhat agree that the Ren Cen was much more confusing back then, than it is now.

Side question: What were the exterior layered structures on the water side? They staggered back, but I cannot find any info on what exactly they were.

The nostalgia is strong in me this week.

[Jason]

If you're talking about the unbuilt stuff, that was residential. The setbacks formed balconies for the units.