Renaissance Center
The Renaissance Center, also briefly called " RenCen " is, with 221 meters the tallest building in Detroit.
Designed by John C. Portman, Jr. buildings group consists of five separate towers, the middle stands out. The four flanking towers are each 159.2 m high. The ensemble was opened in 1977, the office space was passed only in 1981.
The Renaissance Center houses next to the world headquarters of General Motors with a Marriott hotel in the central tower of the largest hotels (72 floors, 1298 rooms ) of the United States. The complex is right on the Detroit River and has a view on Windsor ( Ontario), the opposite southernmost city in Canada. In the penthouse floor of the central tower is the Nobel revolving restaurant " Coach Insignia ".
On the lower floors there is an open hall that connects all five towers to each other and includes restaurants, boutiques as well as a constantly changing exhibition of current GM automobiles.
Architecture
The design by John Portman Jr. is in some way in the tradition of the outlined of the Detroit automotive companies future visions, such as the Futurama exhibit by Norman Bel Geddes, the contributions to the world exhibitions in New York of the future RenCen - owner GM. As a distinguishing feature of the building is characterized not utopia but rather pursues the goal of restoration ( Renaissance ) of better days, in this particular case, the city of Detroit and the closely affiliated automotive industry. The architecture makes use of it not obvious historicizing design features, but also conveys with its high proportion of high-quality exported exposed concrete and high-tech glass elements, especially in the spacious atrium, the heart of the complex, a quite progressive directional image. Already during the construction, however, the hermetic character of the draft was heavily criticized. A maxim of the architects regarding the design was such as City within a City. So the mighty concrete structures have been interpreted on the site by many as an attempt to build a fortress of the rich against the poor.
History
After the rebellion of 1967 Detroit was morally on the ground. Also economically stagnated Motor City. In 1970, a group of business men to Henry Ford II, who give Ford Development, the city again an economic boost. In November 1971, the group finally announced the construction of a 500 million -dollar building complex designed by the architect John Portman Jr. The name of the building was in a public competition sought to the PR agent Roger Lennert decided for themselves. Among the investors who joined the project included, among others, General Motors, Chrysler and the Budd Company. The first offices moved into the building in 1976. GM CEO Henry L. Duncombre predicted at this time, given the euphoria triggered by the project, an end to the economic decline and depopulation in Detroit. On April 15, 1977, the Renaissance Center by Henry Ford II and Detroit mayor Coleman at that time Young was officially opened. Jimmy Carter, at that time, U.S. President, addressed a telegram to the solid company, among other things, Elio also Gabbuggiani, the mayor of Florence, the twin city of Detroit, and the cradle of the Renaissance witnessed. Gabbuggiani had to be trouble at the ceremony present, as a communist him a visa by the U.S. authorities was initially denied. For entertainment, the closed society of entertainer Bob Hope was engaged for the evening. In 1980, the Republican National Convention held with their presidential candidate Ronald Reagan in the Renaissance Center. 1981 other towers of the complex were opened. The construction activities were thus initially completed. A 1978 by the City of Detroit commissioned study went hard with the Renaissance Center in the court. Some design elements have been sharply criticized as, inter alia, which delimits the city character of the architecture. A further criticism was that the Riverfront was virtually no involvement at her feet in the concept. Later studies referred to about the high vacancy, the provisions for retail premises. The expansion phase III, residential towers, was eventually dropped, as Detroit recorded about 40 % fewer residents in the Central Business District in the early 1980s had as 1970. The Ford Company withdrew at this time more and more from the project, including because the financing plan of the building complex one had to be changed again and again and threatened to fail. In 1987, the Renaissance Center was connected to a station on the newly opened People Mover to give new impetus to a further project with the aim of Detroit. General Motors finally acquired in 1996 the entire complex and had renovated the Renaissance Center for $ 500 million. It was, inter alia, the fortress character of the entrance floor defused. The building now bears the logo of the group widely visible at the crown of the highest tower.
Reception in popular culture
Today, the Renaissance Center is a symbol of the failed attempt to slow the decline of Detroit when it symbolizes not even Detroit's decline itself. During the Renaissance Center inevitably appears in conjunction with Detroit, point out 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 faces the OCP Group in Paul Verhoeven Robocop the run-down, torn by violence and crime Old Detroit can be understood as an allusion to the Renaissance idea of the RenCen.
Exclusions and restraining orders
Although the Renaissance Center by its shape and architectural organization suggests a public space and, for example, the GM lobby is neither structurally nor otherwise spatially separated from the main hall, it always comes back to strict exclusions and dismissals. So was 2009, the premiere of the documentary Capitalism: A love story without the director and producer of the film instead. Michael Moore, who had booked the theater of the Renaissance Center for this event and previously had been a personal feud themed with former GM Chairman Roger B. Smith in his films, from the Renaissance Center was summarily banned. On 18 November 2010 was the camera of the German conductor and filmmaker Christian von Borries, who wanted to return to filming the New York Stock Exchange at the celebrations to GMs, ensured in the Renaissance Center. He was expelled from the building.
Detroit Renaissance Center, Interior