Detroit, MI
Detroit’s RenCen: Historical photos of GM HQ take you back in time
Detroit’s Renaissance Center: A historical overview
Explore the history of Detroit’s Renaissance Center, from its design and construction in the 1970s to its role as a symbol of the automotive industry and its ongoing significance in the city’s business and tourism landscape.
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:
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.
4Warn Weather – Cooler temperatures remain across Southeast Michigan for the start of the workweek, however, we’ll turn much warmer into the weekend.
Skies turn mainly clear Sunday night with a light northwest wind. Temperatures will fall to the low 30s to near 40°.
You’ll want to cover your plants or bring them indoors as frost will be possible. A Frost Advisory will be in effect for most of Southeast Michigan from midnight tonight until 7 a.m. Monday.
Monday will look beautiful with mostly sunny skies. It’ll still be chilly though – afternoon temperatures will only reach the mid to upper 50s.
Winds Monday will be out of the north at 5-10 mph.
Temperatures will once again be in the 30s Monday night, so it will be another night to protect your plants.
We then recover nicely with most reaching the low 60s Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Although we’re a bit warmer, the next chance for rain will arrive Tuesday afternoon and linger into Wednesday.
Thursday brings back the sunshine and warmer weather. Highs will be in the mid 60s before we reach the low 70s Friday.
The upcoming weekend looks even warmer with highs near 80°, but we also see the next chances for rain.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
DETROIT, MICH (WXYZ) — In partnership with The ALS Association, downtown Detroit parks will shine red May 10–16 in recognition of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) Awareness month.
A special kickoff event will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, in Campus Martius Park. The event will allow families impacted by ALS to connect, learn about upcoming initiatives, and take part in a meaningful “END ALS” photo moment under the illuminated park lights.
You can reserve you spot by visiting:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JlhGrOr9-kWQmmR_rZc61S9MfqDjPeBKvKV5YBqkMypUQThNMEs5TVpLRUY5R1FLV0o1WFExN1U4Uy4u
Detroit Tigers blow lead, lose to Kansas City Royals on walk-off hit.
The Tigers lost, 4-3, to the Royals on Kyle Isbel’s walk-off single in the ninth inning.
Kansas City, Mo. — The losing streak is now five games. The road record is now an MLB-worst 6-16.
The Kansas City Royals prolonged the Tigers’ misery Saturday night with a relatively breezy 5-1 win at Kauffman Stadium.
Oh, and the Tigers might’ve lost another player in the process.
Right fielder Kerry Carpenter left the game in the third inning. He banged his left shoulder running into the side wall chasing Bobby Witt Jr.’s first-inning, two-run, inside-the-park home run.
Witt, a right-handed hitter, sliced a drive inside the bag at first. Carpenter chased it toward the side wall, but the ball caromed past him. Witt never stopped running.
Carpenter stayed in the game and even rolled an infield single in the second inning. But he was replaced by Wenceel Perez when the Royals came to bat in the third inning.
BOX SCORE: Royals 5, Tigers 1
He was being evaluated during the game.
The two-run homer by Witt ended up being more than the Tigers’ sputtering offense could overcome. But, for good measure, Michael Massey added a three-run home run off Ty Madden in the fourth inning.
Madden ended up being one of the few bright spots in the game for the Tigers. He pitched six innings and allowed just one other hit. He set down the last 11 hitters he faced.
He entered in the third inning after opener Burch Smith and lefty Tyler Holton worked one time through the Royals’ batting order.
Holton made a nifty escape in the first inning. With runners at second and third and one out, and two runs already in, Jac Caglianone hit a hard ground ball to second baseman Zach McKinstry, who was playing in on the grass.
McKinstry got the out at first. The runner at second, Carter Jensen, mistakenly broke for third where Vinnie Pasquantino was holding.
Spencer Torkelson threw to shortstop Kevin McGonigle who threw to catcher Jake Rogers once Pasquantino broke for home — your basic 4-3-6-2 double-play.
Not much else went the Tigers’ way.
Royals right-hander Michael Wacha snuffed out the few scoring opportunities the Tigers mustered.
He worked around an error and a McKinstry stolen base in the third innings. He got Jake Rogers to pop to shallow right field with runners at first and third and one out and then got Matt Vierling to ground out with the bases loaded in the fifth.
Wacha allowed two hits in seven innings. The Tigers put 18 balls in play against him with a soft average exit velocity of 84.4 mph.
The Tigers broke through in the eighth against lefty reliever Matt Strahm. And it was left-handed hitters who did the dirty work. Riley Greene, who extended his career-high on-base streak to 20 games, doubled home McGonigle.
This season is a long way from over but Tigers, 18-22, are in serious need a course correction.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
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