Renaissance Center Elevator

The Renaissance Center, or RenCen for short, is the tallest building in Detroit at 221 meters (725 feet). The architectural composition consists of five separate towers, with the central tower rising well above the four flanking towers, each 159.2 meters tall. The complex opened in 1977, followed by the office space in 1981. It stands directly on the Detroit River and offers impressive views of the Canadian city of Windsor on the opposite shore. At the heart of the central tower is the second-tallest hotel in the United States, a 72-story Marriott. On the penthouse level, the upscale revolving restaurant Coach Insignia invites you to a special dining experience. The lower floors are threaded by an open hall that connects all five towers. Here you'll find restaurants, boutiques, and a constantly changing display of current cars from General Motors, the global corporation headquartered there.

Architect John C. Portman Jr.'s design reflects the future visions of Detroit's auto industry, yet it pursues a restorative rather than a utopian goal. The architecture dispenses with historical style elements and instead relies on high-quality exposed concrete and high-tech glass elements, especially in the generous atrium. This design was meant to convey a progressive image and lead the city and the auto industry back to better times. During construction, however, the project's hermetic character drew heavy criticism. The maxim "City within a City" led many to interpret the massive concrete structures as a fortress of the rich against the poor. The name Renaissance Center was chosen in a public competition and was meant to symbolize the city's rebirth.

The history of the complex is closely tied to Detroit's economic decline after the 1967 rebellion. A group of businessmen around Henry Ford II initiated the construction to give the city a new boost. The official opening took place in 1977 in the presence of Henry Ford II and then-Mayor Coleman Young. Despite initial euphoria and its use for high-profile events such as the Republican Party's National Convention in 1980, the project met with resistance. A city study criticized the architecture's isolating character and its poor integration with the riverfront. In the early 1980s, the planned construction of residential towers was dropped, and the Ford Company withdrew from the project.

In 1996, General Motors acquired the entire complex and had it renovated for $500 million. In the process, the fortress-like character of the entrance area was softened and the base level was expanded with a new, tall atrium. Today, the Renaissance Center is often seen in the public eye as a symbol of the failed attempt to halt the city's decline. It is a fixture of the Detroit skyline and of popular culture, appearing on album covers and in films, for example. General Motors is currently planning to move its corporate headquarters to a new building. At the same time, real estate developers are working on concepts to open the Renaissance Center up more to downtown and the riverwalk. These also include plans to demolish two of the office towers closest to the river in order to adjust the usable space, since a large share of the office and retail space is currently vacant.