This Week in Michigan Real Estate History: May 29 – June 3, 2018
On June 2, 1919, groundbreaking for the construction of the General Motors Building was held in what would eventually be known as the New Center neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan.
The building was originally known as the Durant Building, after William C. Durant, one of the co-founders of General Motors. However, Durant was ousted by the Board of Directors prior to the completion of the building, and it was renamed the General Motors Building. In 1996, GM purchased the Renaissance Center on the riverfront of downtown Detroit, and GM moved its last workers to the RenCen in 2001. The General Motors Building is now primarily occupied by the State of Michigan, and known as Cadillac Place.
The structure was designed by noted architect Albert Kahn and has approximately 1.4M square feet of space. When the building opened fully in 1923, it was the second largest office building in the world (behind only New York City’s Equitable Building).
David Nykanen has over 22 years experience as a real estate lawyer. He is the former Chair of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Dave has represented property owners of virtually every type, including retail, multi-family, industrial, office, hotel, and high-end residential.
