The largest of Detroit's "big three" automakers will soon move to an upcoming Motor City landmark.
General Motors confirmed Monday afternoon that it will move its global headquarters from its namesake Renaissance Center (RenCen) to the under-construction Hudson's Detroit Tower, in 2025.
The Detroit Free Press reported Monday that GM CEO Mary Barra made the official announcement to move to the building, which is going up on Woodward Avenue just north of Campus Martius.
Barra made it clear that GM belongs in Detroit and will remain so.
"We'll be the signature tenant of this state-of-the-art building," said Barra, as reported by the paper. "We'll have space to display our vehicles and host events with all the modern amenities you'd imagine from a developer like Bedrock."
Bedrock, a real estate company run by billionaire Dan Gilbert of Rocket Mortgage, is building the 681-foot skyscraper. When finished, it will be the second-tallest building in Michigan after the RenCen's Marriott Hotel.
GM will be the lead tenant of Hudson's Detroit and sign a 15-year lease. The Free Press reported that GM will occupy the top two floors of the new building, a significant reduction in office space from the RenCen.
The tower is named after J.L. Hudson's, the mammoth Detroit department store that stood on the spot until 1983, when it closed. It was imploded in 1998.
Barra said GM will work with Renaissance Center to find additional tenants once GM vacates next year.
GM purchased the RenCen in 1996 and moved its headquarters from its longtime home in the New Center area, now owned by the State of Michigan and called Cadillac Place.
The complex was built by a group of entities led by the Ford Motor Company and completed in 1977. It has four 39-floor office buildings surrounding a 73-story hotel. Two smaller, identical office towers are part of RenCen but are owned by a separate company.
While the RenCen was praised for its architecture upon completion, it was originally criticized for its confusing layout and concrete berms that seemed to cut it off from the rest of the downtown core.
GM spent half a billion U.S. dollars to transform the RenCen, including removing the berms to give the complex a more inviting look and creating the Wintergarden space, which faces the Detroit River with views of Windsor.