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GM Confirms Global Headquarters Move To Hudson’s Detroit In 2025: Video

GM has confirmed plans to relocate its global headquarters from the Renaissance Center to Hudson’s Detroit, per GM CEO Mary Barra during a press conference. The move, set to take place in 2025, marks General Motors’ fourth headquarters location in Detroit since 1911. Meanwhile, General Motors will collaborate with real estate development firm Bedrock, as well as the city of Detroit and Wayne County, to explore redevelopment opportunities for the automaker’s current headquarters over the course of the next year.

Timeline for GM headquarters in the city of Detroit.

“We are proud to remain in the city of Detroit in a modern office building that fits the evolving needs of our workforce, right in the heart of downtown,” said General Motors CEO Barra. “Our new headquarters will provide collaboration areas for our teams, executive offices and display space for our vehicles. Dan Gilbert and Bedrock have done so much to make downtown Detroit a great place to live, work and visit. We are thrilled to be a significant part of the historic Hudson’s project and also look forward to working with them to explore new ideas and opportunities for the Renaissance Center site and the riverfront.”

Dan Gilbert, chairman and founder at Bedrock, lauded the move, noting General Motors’ contribution to Detroit’s history and its future as the automaker continues to influence global mobility trends.

General Motors’ upcoming headquarters at Hudson’s Detroit signifies a return to Woodward Avenue, echoing the company’s historical roots where it established its first headquarters in the city.

Renaissance Center

GM acquired the Renaissance Center, also known as the “Ren Cen,” in 1996. In the time since, GM has invested more than $1 billion into the site, including a significant $500 million renovation to make the complex more community-friendly and improve navigability.

Meanwhile, Hudson’s Detroit spans 1.5 million square feet and includes office spaces, retail, a hotel, residential condos, and event spaces. First breaking ground in 1891, the Hudson’s department store, also known as the “Big Store,” served as a major retailer in the city of Detroit, and was even the second largest department store in the world for a time. The store closed in 1983 and the original structure was eventually demolished, however, Bedrock states that the history of the site is echoed in the new Hudson’s Detroit building.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. Maybe they are opening up a casino at the old place?

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    1. Not much need for a casino down there when the Hollywood Casino at Greektown (formerly the Greektown Casino Hotel) is only 5 minutes away on foot.

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  2. She really needs to go!

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    1. Why? It’s would be a foolish and costly decision to stay in a giant 5 million+ sq ft building if you’re not using most of it.
      GM no longer needs the space and frankly, probably didn’t need it when it moved in almost 50 years ago.

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      1. Its only been around 30 lol

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      2. It hasn’t even been 30 years since they bought and moved in.

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      3. Has anyone mentioned that Ren Cen initially had the Ford logo on it. When GM put its logo on I was amused.

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  3. Here is an idea for the Ren Cen…..tear it down.

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  4. It might be a waste of space in the Ren Cen but critics all over the Web are saying that now that GM has all those ill-gotten profits from false claims about pandemic supply issues (causing vehicle prices to increase FAR faster than inflation and contributing to the inflation rate), why not spend, spend, spend on frivolous things? That’s what it looks like to the minions, anyway.

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    1. So, there were no pandemic-related supply issues? Really? Yours is a wonderful world of fantasy….

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  5. Obviously exiting the Ren Cen is another cost cutting move since they can no longer come close to filling that space due to head count reductions and work from home. Next they’ll unload the Ren Cen ASAP but it’ll be a challenge since Detroit has 20% office vacancy rates…and growing. They’ll let Gilbert figure it out.

    Moving into rental digs feels like an interim step until their next move. I’d guess they’ll eventually consolidate at the Tech Ctr. There’s likely plenty of space there too given all the cuts they’ve made in engineering.

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    1. I take part of that back. Turns out gm is only leasing two floors of the new 12 floor office building for their new “HQ” plus some car display space on the main floor. Some HQ.

      In words they’ll maintain a token presence in Detroit for PC purposes only and almost everything else has already moved elsewhere.

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      1. Bill’s Howland at the moon, again….

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  6. I have visited the Renaissance Center in 1989 and its rotating restaurant on the top floor.

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    1. A lot of us have. It’s in/on a nice structure too. Too bad that the new one going up already looks dated.

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    2. I’ve been there a few times in the past 15 or so years and eaten in the restaurant. Food was okay and expensive, but the view is spectacular.

      A better dining experience was had on the Detroit Princess river boat cruise.

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  7. Did y’all know Ford had offices there in the 1970’s? Not sure if you did.

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  8. GM purchased the Rencen from Ford. The building was virtually unusable because of its convoluted internal floor plans. You could see where you wanted to go but you couldn’t get there. GM spent hundreds of millions to try to improve the layout, but it remained an albatross. With the decline of employee counts and GM overall, this move is both needed and sad at the same time.

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    1. Good post Bob.

      I actually visited friends working at the Ren Cen when it was owned by Ford (and built at the behest of Hank the Deuce). Years later I had an office in the 100 Tower when I worked for GM but I spent most of my time at a second office at the MCD building in the Tech Ctr. Thankfully I had that option.

      Indeed, it was originally a very poorly designed maze of a structure that GM spent $1B on over years to improve after buying it for peanuts for $74M dollars. Vice-Chair Harry Pierce at the time was the instigator of the purchase which was not popular with a lot of salaried people for a variety of reasons.

      After all that, they’re bailing just like Ford did.

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    2. Its never talked about however Ford was in very serious financial trouble teetering on going under and the US government which did not want an Auto manufacturer to have monopoly stepped in forced GM to bail them out….that’s why GM bought their buildings. Makes my laugh when Ford loyalists talk about GM and Chrysler bailout. Ford would of been long gone. Their foreign rubber plant a few product blunders and the cost of building those buildings had them on the ropes.

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      1. Yes, and it is also little known that Henry Ford designed the first Cadillac down the street at the Piquette Avenue Plant.

        The building was the birthplace and where there is one of every Model T, plus the original “Kitchen Sink” engine and other Ford history resides in a small but inviting museum that serves as wedding and other social venues.

        Henry’s corner office has been recreated to resemble the original space and furnishings very closely.

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      2. Gm bought the Ren Cen in 1996- a time when the Big Three were doing very well.

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  9. New GM HQ sums up the current state of the company too well. But I guess they had to move out of the Ren Cen for quite valid reasons.

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  10. Yes, GM was in Ren Cen for a good while. They did buy it from Ford, which I thought was interesting at the time. All money spent was an investment for GM, rather than just a cost.

    No doubt, the new place is more energy efficient and can cost less to operate. Ren Cen should be a nice property to sell, with all of its attributes. It should be a true Renaissance Center, but that might be a few decades off as Detroit continues to dig itself out of a hole. GM should come out of it just fine.

    They could always move back to Flint, where it all started.

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    1. In additon to the updates, GM also poured in a ton of money to revitalize the water front area down below.

      In the past several years that I’ve been going to Detroit each year, the city has really cleaned up the downtown area. Lot’s of companies have moved to Detroit, into new buildings erected by the original facades. It’s quite something to see the whole front of a building standing supported by steel structures, during the construction of the new space behind!

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  11. My guess is the next “big” move will be to China

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  12. The Renaissance Center is an Iconic building to the state of Michigan, all metro counties of the region, city of Detroit. With all five, state of Michigan, all surrounding counties, city of Detroit, GM, and Gilbert Bedrock developments. This building must and will be redeveloped into a beautiful iconic projects of multiple businesses. private Condos, luxury apartments, retails, and even more individual communities activities that the supporting entities visions for the space. I am a huge supporting fan of this redeveloping project. I have always enjoyed the view of this building. The state, counties, City of Detroit, and even America Auto Industry need to preserve this iconic building that Henry Ford (the son) had a vision for the region. I love what Ford auto company have done with the old train station, a few years ago no one could imagine that building coming back to life. Let’s go Michigan, Metro counties, City of Detroit and America auto industries.

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    1. For sure. GM and Ford dumped a ton of money into revitalizing the area and many companies have begun relocating to Detroit.

      The current GM Heritage Centre move from the Sterling Heights area into the downtown area is another example of this.

      Every year that I have visited Detroit, it has been significantly improved, which is great.

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  13. I was in my first job out of college and in Detroit for that company. My dad was a mid level Chevy guy with about 40 years iatound 1977. Chevy had a meeting in the Marriott. I took the opportunity to go and have drinks with dad and his Chevy buddies under the FORD logo in the Ren Cen. Dad retired with 50 years at Chevy. 1937-87. Tarrytown Zone.

    Reply

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