Renaissance Center
The Renaissance Center , also known as "Rencen" for short, is the tallest building in Detroit at 221 m .
Designed by John C. Portman, Jr. , the group of buildings consists of five separate towers, with the middle one protruding. The four flanking towers are each 159.2 m high. The ensemble was opened in 1977, the office space was not handed over until 1981.
In addition to the global headquarters of General Motors , the Renaissance Center also houses a Marriott hotel in the central tower, one of the largest hotels (72 floors, 1298 rooms) in the USA . The complex stands directly on the Detroit River and also offers a view of Windsor (Ontario) , the southernmost city of Canada opposite. The luxury revolving restaurant “Coach Insignia” is located on the penthouse floor of the central tower.
On the lower floors there is an open hall that connects all five towers and contains restaurants, boutiques and a constantly changing exhibition of the current GM automobiles.
architecture
The design by John Portman Jr . stands in a certain way in the tradition of the future visions outlined by the Detroit automobile companies, such as the Futurama exhibition by Norman Bel Geddes , the contributions to the world exhibitions in New York by the later RenCen owner GM. In contrast, the building is not a utopia , but rather pursues the goal of a restoration (renaissance) of better days, in this particular case of the city of Detroit and the automotive industry closely connected with it. The architecture does not make use of obviously historicizing design features, but rather conveys a progressive image with its high proportion of high-quality exposed concrete and high-tech glass elements, especially in the spacious atrium, the heart of the complex. However, the hermetic character of the design was already heavily criticized during construction. One of the architects' maxims regarding the design was z. B. City within a City . The mighty concrete structures on the construction site were interpreted by many as an attempt to build a stronghold of the rich against the poor.
history
After the 1967 rebellion , Detroit was morally bad. The Motor City also stagnated economically. In 1970 a group of businessmen around Henry Ford II , Ford Development, decided to give the city an economic boost again. In November 1971, the group finally announced the construction of a $ 500 million building complex based on plans by architect John Portman Jr. The name for the building was sought in a public competition that was won by PR agent Roger Lennert. Investors who joined the project included General Motors , Chrysler and the Budd Company . The first offices moved into the building in 1976. At this point in time, GM managing director Henry L. Duncombre predicted an end to the economic decline and population decline in Detroit, given the euphoria triggered by the project. On April 15, 1977, the Renaissance Center was officially opened by Henry Ford II and the then Detroit Mayor Coleman Young . Jimmy Carter , US President at the time, sent a greeting telegram to the party. a. Elio Gabbuggiani, the mayor of Florence , Detroit's twin city and the cradle of the Renaissance, also attended. Gabbuggiani struggled to be present at the ceremony, as a communist he was initially refused a visa by the US authorities. The entertainer Bob Hope was hired to entertain the closed party for the evening . In 1980, Republicans held their National Convention with presidential candidate Ronald Reagan at the Renaissance Center. In 1981 more towers of the complex were opened. The construction work was thus ended for the time being. A study commissioned by the City of Detroit back in 1978 went hard with the Renaissance Center. Some design elements have been sharply criticized, for example. a. the character of the architecture that distinguishes itself from the city. It was also criticized that the riverfront at its feet was almost not included in the concept. Later studies pointed to the high vacancy rate of the premises intended for retail. The expansion phase III, residential towers, was finally dropped when Detroit had about 40% fewer residents in the central business district in the early 1980s than in 1970. The Ford Company withdrew more and more from the project at this point, including a. because the financing plan of the building complex had to be changed over and over again and threatened to fail. In 1987 the Renaissance Center was connected to the newly opened people mover with a station , a further project with the aim of giving Detroit new impetus. General Motors finally acquired the entire building complex in 1996 and renovated the Renaissance Center for $ 500 million. It was u. a. the fortress character of the entrance floor is defused. Since then, the building has had the Group's logo visible from afar on the crown of the tallest tower.
Reception in popular culture
Today the Renaissance Center is considered a symbol of the failed attempt to slow the decline of Detroit, if it does not symbolize Detroit's decline itself. While the Renaissance Center inevitably appears in connection with Detroit, this is indicated by some critical media representations of the Renaissance Center, such as on the cover of Eminem 's album Recovery . Also, Delta City , a utopian settlement which the Group OCP in Paul Verhoeven's Robocop the run-down, battered by violence and crime Old Detroit faces, idea Renaissance can be understood the RenCen on as an allusion.
Exclusions and referrals
Although the design and architectural organization of the Renaissance Center suggests a public space and, for example, the GM lobby is neither structurally nor otherwise spatially separated from the large hall, there are always strict exclusions and refusals . In 2009, for example, the documentary Capitalism: A Love Story without the director and producer of the film premiered . Michael Moore , who had booked the cinema in the Renaissance Center for this event and had previously discussed a personal feud with former GM chairman Roger B. Smith in his films, was banned from the Renaissance Center without further ado. On November 18, 2010, the camera of German conductor and filmmaker Christian von Borries , who was planning to film the celebrations for GM's return to the New York Stock Exchange, was seized in the Renaissance Center. He himself was expelled from the building.
Detroit, Renaissance Center
Detroit, Renaissance Center, interior view
References and comments
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ "Access Detroit" - publication of the Architecture & Urban Research course at the AdbK Nuremberg
- ↑ http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/detroit/index.ssf/2009/09/michael_moore_banned_from_detr.html
- ^ "Access Detroit" - publication of the Architecture & Urban Research course at the AdbK Nuremberg
Web links
- Pictures and information (English)
Coordinates: 42 ° 19 '44.4 " N , 83 ° 2' 22.9" W.