Renaissance Center : Ask Biography

GM Renaissance Center
along the International Riverfront

Building information

Name

Renaissance Center

Type

Hotel
Commercial offices
Retail

Architectural style

Modern

Location

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Owner

General Motors

Started

1973

Completed

1977
1981 (towers 500-600)

Renovated

2004

Size

250px

Diameter

188 ft (57.3 m) (central tower)

Antenna spire

750 ft (228.6 m)|roof=727 ft (221.6 m)

Roof

727 ft (221.6 m)

Top floor

696 ft (212.1 m)

Floor count

73 floors x 1
39 floors x 4
21 floors x 2

Floor area

5552000 sqft (1692249.6 m)

Main contractor

Tishman Construction

Architect

John Portman & Associates

Structural engineer

Morris E. Harrison & Associates

Renovating team

Architect

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill,
Gensler,
SmithGroup,
Ghafari Associates

Hotel information

Name

Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center

Location

United States

Address

400 Renaissance Center Drive
Detroit, Michigan

Hotel chain

Marriott Hotels & Resorts

Opening date

1977

Management

Marriott Hotels & Resorts

No. of rooms

1246

No. of suites

No. of restaurants

Coach Insignia
Forty-two Degrees North
Volt

Total floor area

Meeting space: 100000 sqft (9290.3 m2)

No. of floors

Total height

221.49 m (20.6 m2)

Parking

Valet parking: US$25 daily

Home | Skyscraper | Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center (also known as the GM Renaissance Center and nicknamed the RenCen) is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the International Riverfront, the Renaissance Center complex is owned by General Motors as its world headquarters. The central tower, the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, is the

tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, and features the largest rooftop restaurant, Coach Insignia. It has been the tallest building in Michigan since its erection in 1977.

John Portman was the principal architect for the original design. The first phase constructed a five tower rosette rising from a common base. Four 39-story office towers surround the 73-story hotel rising from a square-shaped podium which includes a shopping center, restaurants, brokerage firms, banks, a four-screen movie theatre, private clubs. The first phase officially opened in March 1977. Portman's design renewed attention to city architecture, constructing the world's tallest hotel at the time. Two additional 21-story office towers (known as Tower 500 and Tower 600) opened in 1981. This type of complex has been termed a city within a city.

In 2004, General Motors completed a US$500 million renovation of the class-A center as its world headquarters, which it had purchased in 1996. The renovation included the addition of the five-story Wintergarden atrium, which provides access to the International Riverfront. Architects for the renovation included Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Gensler, SmithGroup, and Ghafari Associates. Work continued in and around the complex until 2005. Renaissance Center totals 5552000 sqft (1692249.6 m) making it one of the world's largest office complexes.