DETROIT (WWJ) — General Motors is set to move its headquarters out of the Renaissance Center along the Detroit riverfront and into the new Hudson’s Detroit building on Woodward Avenue.
GM CEO Mary Barra and Bedrock Chairman Dan Gilbert made the announcement at a press conference Monday afternoon at the under-construction Hudson’s Detroit building, which reached its final height last week.
Barra said the move to Hudson's Detroit is expected to be completed in 2025.
Bedrock, GM, and officials with the city of Detroit and Wayne County will be working together to "plot a new path forward" for the RenCen. Over "the next year or so," she said they will "explore new ideas for the complex, including the possibilities for commercial or residential or mixed use."
Calling it "a perfect fit," Barra said GM's new home at Hudson's Detroit will have space to display vehicles and host events "with all of the modern amenities you'll imagine from a developer like Bedrock."
Barra and Gilbert said the move shows GM's commitment to remaining in the city of Detroit.
GM has called the RenCen home since buying the towers in 1996, but the company has needed less and less space in recent years, according to Sam Fiorani of Auto Forecast Solution.
"GM downsized its workforce at the RenCen over the last few years," Fiorani said. "They were over 10,000 at one point, dropping to about 5,000 pre-pandemic, and now they're down to about 1,300 employees at that one building."
The Associated Press reports GM takes up about 1 1/2 of the the RenCen’s towers, which have seen decreased pedestrian traffic for years.
Among those reacting to GM's news is Downtown Detroit Partnership CEO Eric Larson, who sees this as a positive.
"The announcement, while nothing is ever for sure, is extremely exciting," Larson told WWJ. "It's a real indication of not only GM's continued commitment to our downtown and to the city of Detroit, but also a really important piece for the Hudson's project, and making sure that that project not only reflects, you know, Detroit's future, but also is really opening with great success."
Prior to Monday, the new Hudson’s Detroit building had yet to announce an anchor tenant in the 1.5 million-square-foot project on the site of the former J.L. Hudson’s Department Store on Woodward. After the final steel construction beam was placed last week, it is now Detroit’s second tallest building.
Barra called the site "very historic" in the city of Detroit.
"Many of us can remember coming downtown to shop at Hudson's when we were young. I remember as a child coming here to look at how the windows were decorated for the holidays, going to see Santa and shopping at the 'children's only' shop," Barra said. "So this is truly a special, special place."
Larson said he's excited for the redevelopment of the Renaissance Center, calling the RenCen "iconic."
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