Detroit’s Renaissance Center has been a crowning gem of the city’s skyline since the 1970s.

But since General Motors announced plans to move its headquarters out of the towers, the RenCen has faced questions about its future, including the possibility of demolition.

With the fate of the skyscrapers at stake, we decided to take a peek into the photographical archives, back to when the project was announced, its groundbreaking, big events and eventually, its status as a ghost-town, when COVID-19 temporarily cleared the building in favor of remote work and GM moved some employees to Warren.

Scroll through the gallery below, for a look into the history of the iconic landmark.

Here are some recent news stories to capture where the development discussions stand:

Historic review: Detroit City Council shoots down RenCen historic review, paving way for GM, Bedrock plan

Sound off: Detroiters feel mixed about RenCen demolition plan

Neal Rubin: I explored the almost-vacant RenCen. Here’s what I found.

Key facts about the RenCen

• The RenCen consists of seven towers, of which GM owns the original five.
• The original structure opened in 1977 and consists of four 39-story office towers surrounding a central 73-story hotel, which is now a Marriott.
• The original plan for the RenCen was proposed in 1971 by auto magnate Henry Ford II, then chairman of Ford Motor Co. The architect was John Portman and the development’s original ownership was a 49-member partnership spearheaded by Henry Ford II. The restaurant near the top of the central tower at one time featured a revolving floor.
• In 1981, two additional 21-story towers were built. Those two shorter towers were sold in 2023 by a New Jersey utility company, which had owned them for years, to Farmington Hills-based real estate firm Friedman Real Estate. One of those buildings houses Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The other is mostly vacant.
• GM bought the RenCen in 1996 to be its world headquarters. Previously, GM was located in Detroit’s New Center area in what was then called the General Motors Building, now known as Cadillac Place.
• The automaker went on to spend over $500 million on renovations and upgrades to the RenCen in the late 1990s and early 2000s that were widely credited with making the center better, and its labyrinthine corridors somewhat easier to navigate.
• The weekday population in the RenCen plunged following the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued popularity of remote and hybrid work arrangements. GM also relocated a number of workers from the RenCen to its Technical Center in Warren.

The Detroit Free Press contributed to this report.