Associate Professor of Architecture Craig Wilkins is quoted in several news stories about controversial plans to redevelop — and possibly demolish — the iconic Renaissance Center in Detroit.
According to the Nov. 25 Detroit Free Press, the tallest tower of General Motors’ Renaissance Center would stay standing while two others would be demolished under a proposed revamp of the struggling office complex that would cost $1.6 billion, including $250 million in public support.
Recently released plans for the five original RenCen towers would “right-size” the complex’s massive footprint for a modern era of reduced demand for office space, according to GM and Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock real estate firm.
Wilkins, an architect and Detroit resident, said the revamp offers a chance to improve upon the structure’s complicated history as a fortress that discouraged Detroiters from entering. But the removal of towers and addition of a promenade, he added, represent only a minor step toward accessibility.
“It’s not enough just to take down buildings and then replace it with a concrete walk or concrete plaza,” Wilkins told the Free Press. “If there’s no reason to be in the plaza, then that’s just dead space. Yeah, it’s not a building, but it’s as useless as that building.”
In a separate Nov. 25 story on WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Wilkins cautioned that the redevelopment plan was only a concept but said he was underwhelmed by what he saw.
After announcing the proposal, GM faced pushback from state lawmakers opposed to publicly funding the plan to tear down two towers and renovate three. On Dec. 1, the Free Press ran a follow-up story saying GM is prepared to demolish all five towers and bear the full cost if it can’t secure the public funding they say they need to revamp the RenCen.
Wilkins likened that threat to extortion.
“It’s not uncommon that big corporations, when they want to do large-scale projects, present things in an either-or fashion to shape the debate in the direction they would like,” Wilkins said. “The idea of ‘if you don’t go with this, then we’ll just tear it all down’ seems like extortion to me, and I don’t think the public should allow itself to be extorted.”
