Dan Gilbert Presents Plan For Tallest Building In Detroit At Hudson's Site
DETROIT (WWJ) - If renderings become reality, it would be the tallest building in Detroit.
Dan Gilbert's Bedrock Detroit has announced plans for a 52-story building on the former Hudson's site along Woodward Ave. in downtown Detroit — with glossy artist renderings revealed before the Downtown Development Authority on Wednesday.
Designs for the building include 250 residential units totaling 441,500 square feet, and a nine-story "podium" comprised of 733,823 square feet of mixed commercial, office, technology, arts and culture space — with 700 parking spaces on the lower levels.
"For long-time Detroiters, we remember what Hudson's represented. It wasn't just a department store – it was the economic engine of Detroit. It drew residents and visitors downtown, where they spent a day shopping at Hudson's and visiting the retail, restaurants and theaters around it," said Gilbert, billionaire founder and chairman of Rock Ventures and Quicken Loans and founding partner of Bedrock.
"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."
Gilbert said he will seek state incentives for the project, but the legislation is currently working its way through the legislature.
The development plans were designed by New York City-based SHoP Architects in partnership with Detroit-based Hamilton Anderson Associates.
"In its heyday, Hudson's was a premier destination in the heart of downtown. After the flagship store closed in 1983, the structure would bring back fond memories of a vibrant downtown," says Sandra Laux, Project Architect with Hamilton Anderson. "We now have the opportunity to be a part of creating unique, new architecture in one of the few vacant sites downtown."
Bedrock says an independent economic impact study estimates the Hudson's development will create thousands of jobs both during and after construction and will contribute more than $6 billion in total economic output over 10 years.
