GM illuminates tops of RENCEN's four towers.

[Mikeg]

Here's some photos I took Saturday evening from across the river. Click here to view them twice as large.













Here's a couple of bonus photos:

[gthomas]

NICE!!! Look something out of the Tron movie..sleek!

[downtownguy]

An article I read from one of the news outlets said that they would light up the three towers facing the city, meaning not the waterfront ones. I thought it was dumb myself. However, it was in the same article that said they would only be replacing the one 'GM' sign that also faced the city, and we can already see that they decided 'all-or-nothing' there. There is every possibilty that they decided to do all of them for the sake of not half-assing it like they have so many things in the past.

I think it's a welcomed addition to the downtown skyline. Almost every other major city in the country has their modern glass towers lit up with LEDs. Even though there really wasn't a lot they could do to "spice-up" the towers, this is better than nothing. It's a welcomed change to see more buildings lit up when so many have gone dark even in the past 10 years.

Yep, they finally added the two towers on the river. I gotta say, it's quite impressive. Here's a cell phone shot that doesn't do justice to seeing it in person. It really does grab your attention at night.

[gthomas]

NICE!!! Light up more towers downtown...have TV screens showing fun, inviting videos of Detroit and attractions in the area.

[JBMcB]

When it was just the center building it looked kinda meh. Now that all four are lit up it looks cool. Like the ENCOM building in Tron.

[gthomas]

We might end up being city like Tron..? Webward..etc Apple store in Chase Tower. New COBO front tv screen and two football field size electric billboards on the gold glass building next to the Guardian on Woodward. Detroit has: Electronic music, cars, and business[[s)..NEW TECH CITY.

[davewindsor]

We might end up being city like Tron..? Webward..etc Apple store in Chase Tower. New COBO front tv screen and two football field size electric billboards on the gold glass building next to the Guardian on Woodward. Detroit has: Electronic music, cars, and business[[s)..NEW TECH CITY.

Ya, it's gonna look like Downtown Tokyo, but without all the people.

[DetBill]

I like the whole thing lighted up,, alot, it makes the downtown look interesting, and is certainly a focal point, I get a great view of them at night in the living room as it stares right at it on the 17th floor. Visitors have all commented positively on it also, Looks great from Canada at night too.

[Gistok]

Back in the 1920s-1950s you could stand at the corner of Woodward and Adams, and by making a 360 degree turn... see all the theatre marquee's and rooftop signs light up the entertainment district.

The Adams, Oriental [[Downtown RKO), United Artists, Michigan, Tele-News, Madison, Capitol [[DOH), Wilson [[Music Hall), Fox and State Theatres... it must have been quite an impressive sight... since the some of the larger vertical "Blade" signs were up to 10 stories tall [[the Michigan's was the tallest in the country).

Too bad that of all the surviving restored theatres, only the Fox has a sign worthy of the past....

[iheartthed]

It does look a lot better with all towers illuminated.

[Dbest]

I wish they would replace the glass on the office towers to match the cylidrical tower [[silo) in the center. There is little doubt in my mind that this leads to its dated look. Here is great example of what I mean. the St. Bonaventure Hotel in L.A. http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3242124

I never liked circle flanked by squares[[uninspiring). The lights look great, thanks for the pictures...

[ismoakrack]

You can see the blue lights all the way from the Meijer hill in Allen Park. Love it!!

btw, why are the Guardian lights never on?

[Gistok]

I never liked circle flanked by squares[[uninspiring). The lights look great, thanks for the pictures...

Actually those are not squares... they are octagons... with the 4 longer sides of each octagon not in alignment with the square base.... I dunno... it doesn't look that bad.

But you want the four 39 story towers reflective like the two other 22 story towers [[500 and 600). One would imagine that that would create a lot of reflecting of light when the sun shines.... and having all 5 main towers having light bouncing off each other might be really annoying for the office workers at certain times of day.

Plus the Bonaventure Center Hotel in LA has all 5 towers structurally connected, and not standalone like the Detroit towers....

... but then again... it might look good...

[Danny]

Your tax dollars at work!

YES, with light emitting diodes.

[Dbest]

It has more to do with the framing of the exterior around the windows or something. It seems like too strong of contrast given the sleek, curved center building. Gistok, I don't like the connected aspect of those buildings. It really looks goofy on the top. I think Mitsubishi had a commercial with a car driving during the day by the side of the building[[best view) with a little sun hitting it. I guess I don't mind the octagons as much as those windows. I'm not sure about the light pollution in the office towers as a result of adding reflective glass. Maybe thats why 500 and 600 have that glass, because they're far enough away from the Rencen. For the record I do like the Ren more than the Bonaventure complex...

[stasu1213]

I will be glad when the RenCen allow more shops to open in the Wintergardens. I will be impress

[FlyByDon]

Detroit, the city with Bling.

[Huggybear]

The simple answer is that they don't make the Corning metallized brown glass for the old towers anymore [[or any other John Portman structure from the late 60s-early 70s). When Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta was smashed up in a windstorm, they couldn't replace the glass with anything that matched the original - and even if they had commissioned a run of it, it would not match due to fading - so they replaced all of it.

Bit of trivia: when you look at the Marriott, occasionally you will see a window that looks purplish. This is where they goofed during construction and installed a window backwards. The purple is oxidization of the metal layer where they used acidic window-cleaning solutions.

By the way, 500/600 are inexpensively constructed compared to the older part. I suspect that the glass chosen simply cost less.

Also, anyone notice that they are redoing the front of 500/600? Looks as if their entrance is being brought to street level.

It has more to do with the framing of the exterior around the windows or something. It seems like too strong of contrast given the sleek, curved center building. Gistok, I don't like the connected aspect of those buildings. It really looks goofy on the top. I think Mitsubishi had a commercial with a car driving during the day by the side of the building[[best view) with a little sun hitting it. I guess I don't mind the octagons as much as those windows. I'm not sure about the light pollution in the office towers as a result of adding reflective glass. Maybe thats why 500 and 600 have that glass, because they're far enough away from the Rencen. For the record I do like the Ren more than the Bonaventure complex...

[BrushStart]

Also worth mentioning is that the two shorter towers [[towers 500 and 600) also light up at night. The tops of the towers glow the same neon blue as the tops of the other buildings.

Additionally, the large driveway ramp in front of towers 500 and 600 has also been demolished over the past few days. It looks like they are trying to open up the front entrance to the two smaller towers the same way they did with the main entrance of the RenCen. If that's the case, I say it's about time! The gap between the two sets of buildings should be fluid and inviting. Perhaps BCBS' move into the towers inspired some changes. Open that thing up to the street-scape!

[DTWflyer]

Yes, they are renovating the entrance driveway Jefferson streetfront for Tower 500 & 600 as a part of the BCBS move downtown.

The tore down part of the old roadway overpass this week that used to connect to the front entrance of the RenCen before GM tore down the berms and remade the PeopleMover stop.

They are going to redo the front entrance so it has better pedestrian access to Jefferson, I believe they are going to put in a sloping driveway and landscaping in place of that elevated roadway and surface parking lot. This will enable BCBS to walk out the main entrance and cross Jefferson at Beauben, to walk over to their other buildings, instead of having to backtrack over to St. Antoine and walking back to Beaben.

Related to the BCBS move, Deloitte the current primary tenant in Tower 600 will be moving to the top floors of Tower 200 this summer.

[JBMcB]

It looks like they are trying to open up the front entrance to the two smaller towers the same way they did with the main entrance of the RenCen. If that's the case, I say it's about time! The gap between the two sets of buildings should be fluid and inviting. Perhaps BCBS' move into the towers inspired some changes. Open that thing up to the street-scape!

I understand that the streetscape could be much improved in front of the two side towers - but check out the geography. There are several lanes of traffic running between the towers, and four lanes of Jeffefrson straddling the entrances to the Chrysler freeway. Not exactly pedestrian friendly surroundings, and not much you can do about it.

[Trumpeteer]

When Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta was smashed up in a windstorm, they couldn't replace the glass with anything that matched the original - and even if they had commissioned a run of it, it would not match due to fading - so they replaced all of it.

Slight correction. It was not a "windstorm" it was an EF2 TORNADO.

[stinkytofu]

Yes, they are renovating the entrance driveway Jefferson streetfront for Tower 500 & 600 as a part of the BCBS move downtown.

The tore down part of the old roadway overpass this week that used to connect to the front entrance of the RenCen before GM tore down the berms and remade the PeopleMover stop.

They are going to redo the front entrance so it has better pedestrian access to Jefferson, I believe they are going to put in a sloping driveway and landscaping in place of that elevated roadway and surface parking lot. This will enable BCBS to walk out the main entrance and cross Jefferson at Beauben, to walk over to their other buildings, instead of having to backtrack over to St. Antoine and walking back to Beaben.

Related to the BCBS move, Deloitte the current primary tenant in Tower 600 will be moving to the top floors of Tower 200 this summer.

Thanks for the info! I was just on the PM yesterday and was curious about what was going on.

For the life of me, I don't understand why they don't build a pedestrian-friendly crosswalk on the southside of Jefferson where you walk past the Windsor Tunnel entrance. It's really quite dangerous and the road is even rippled. You have legit sidewalk on both sides of the street, but feel like you might get run over when you try to make the crossing.

[joesmithrocks]

The center tower looks like Mike Wasowski from Monster's Inc.

[Whitehouse]

Do they change or is that deep blue their only colour? And can they display text message? [[Would be hard to read though....)