Dan Gilbert Wants To Build Detroit’s Tallest Skyscraper

DETROIT, MI — Businessman Dan Gilbert has proposed a $775 million, 52-story, 734-foot skyscraper that would be Detroit’s tallest building. To be located on Woodward Avenue at the former J.L. Hudson’s department store site, it would be a technology hub and include 250 rental apartments, offices, a theater, retail space, a large public market and public spaces.

Approved Wednesday by the Detroit Downtown Development Authority, the swirling glass and steel structure wouldn’t dwarf the General Motors Renaissance Center, which currently holds the title of the city’s tallest building. But it would be about seven feet taller. The complex would encompass 1.2 million square feet.

Gilbert and his Bedrock real estate company have until Nov. 1 to apply for state tax incentives, which Gilbert says are necessary to make the project financially feasible. Construction could begin in December with a 2020 completion date.

The working name for the building is Hudson’s, a nod to what for years was one of the tallest buildings in the world at 520 feet. The flagship store for the retail chain closed in 1983, and was demolished in 1988. In its day, the 29-floor building was a bustling retail center.

In a statement released by Bedrock, Gilbert said the iconic structure would capture some of the same magic as Hudson’s.

“For long-time Detroiters, we remember what Hudson’s represented,” he said. “It wasn’t just a department store — it was the economic engine of Detroit,Our goal is to create a development that exceeds the economic and experiential impact even Hudson’s had on the city. We believe this project is so unique that it can help put Detroit back on the national — and even global — map for world-class architecture, talent attraction, technology innovation and job creation.”

Josef Guziewicz, vice president of construction for Bedrock, expects the building to be full of life.

“The first thing we said is we don’t want this to be a regular building, that you walk by and it’s kind of dead,” he told the Detroit Free Press. “We wanted this to be the center of Detroit and really engage people.”

The skyscraper is far from a reality. Some aspects of the project depend on approval by the state Legislature of a bill that would expand tax incentives for major developments, The Detroit News reported. The Senate has approved it, but it still has to win approval in the House and be signed by Gov. Rick Snyder.

Without the incentives, Gilbert has said he will scale back the project for the Hudson’s site.

Photo via Bedrock Detroit