What would Detroit look like if the RenCen hadn't been built?

[Gistok]

Fury13... isn't that the same material used for the facade of the MacNamara Federal Office Building on Michigan Ave.? I can't disagree with the cement comments.

But at least GM opened up both the riverside [[Wintergarden) and Jefferson side [[glass facade) of the complex. The old hated berms are long gone... although I lament the loss of the artwork in the old People Mover Station... the new one doesn't appear to have any [[unless they saved the green metal "rams horn" sculpture).

[iheartthed]

Well considering that 211 W. Fort was empty after Comerica moved to One Detroit Center [[now Comerica Tower) in the early 1990's, One Woodward Ave. [[former "Gas Building") was not full, neither was 150 West Jefferson, and other buildings in the CBD... there was plenty of space for folks to move to, but some [[such as Ford) still opted for the burbs.

But didn't Ford just consolidate their workers at the HQ in Dearborn? Or did they do more that I'm unaware of? As for those other buildings, do they have Class A office space [[is that what it's called) like the Ren Cen and newer offices in the suburbs?

I have mixed feelings about the Ren Cen. I think it was built in a poor location. It's isolation from the rest of downtown probably helped put a few of the smaller stores and restaurants out of business down there as well. But it's the most signature of buildings in Detroit's skyline.

Would it have made sense to consolidate several of those shorter towers into fewer taller towers and built the center on a smaller footprint north of Jefferson Ave? Something like the World Trade Center towers.

[gnome]

You can check out the wsu virtual library. search for Waterfront you can also search under Renaissance Center

overview of waterfront while Cobo is being prepped fro construction:

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...rt=1;resnum=43

1938 view of proposed civic center
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...rt=1;resnum=45

mid-1950's view of the downtown with City/County building under construction

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...rt=1;resnum=58

1971 proposed plan for rehabbing the old Detroit Public Lighting facility at Atwater and Randolph. Notice re-addaption of DPL buildings. This is the site on which the Ren Cen sits.

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...97;viewid=5597

another view of the same project:
http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...;viewid=5597_1

[gnome]

The silos that sat where Tri-Centenial Park is now located were cement, not flour silos. The Robinhood silos where taken down for the RenCen and sat just east of Randolph approx where the RenCen waterside entrance is now located.

There was a railroad building down there, but it wasn't for Amtrak/semta passengers. You can see the old buildings on the WSU site, search Renaissance Center