DETROIT (WWJ) -- The Renaissance Center will remain the tallest building in Michigan for the foreseeable future, after officials announced Wednesday the new tower on the site of the old J.L. Hudson's Department Store will no longer take that title after its completion.
The skyscraper-in-progress being developed by Dan Gilbert's real estate arm, Bedrock LLC, was initially slated to reach 912 feet, much taller than the 727-foot-tall tower on Detroit's riverfront. It had been rumored since last summer that Bedrock had made a change in plans that would alter the building's height, and an official confirmed on Tuesday, it will not be taller than the Ren Cen, according to multiple reports.
The project, estimated to cost nearly $1 billion, will feature offices and retail space in the smaller wing of the building, while the tower will be home to apartments and hotel space. Plans for a skydeck at the top of the tower that would have provided a 360-degree view of the city were scrapped back in August.
Construction began in 2017 at the former Hudson's site on Woodward, just north of Gratiot, and was originally scheduled to be completed in 2022. But there has been little progress on construction, as crews have only created a large hole for the foundation, where an underground parking garage used to stand.
Officials now say construction is expected to be completed in 2023, a year later than they'd initially hoped.