Nora Eckert
DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors is moving its headquarters deeper into downtown Detroit after spending more than 20 years at its waterfront home in the Renaissance Center, a person familiar with the situation said on Monday.
A GM spokesman could not be reached for comment, but the American automaker has scheduled a news conference for 4:30 pm ET (2030 GMT) with CEO Mary Barra and Dan Gilbert, a downtown Detroit property owner. Gilbert also owns the National Basketball Association’s Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Michigan automaker will now locate its global headquarters a few blocks from the so-called RenCen, in a sleek new high-rise called Hudson’s, which will become the second-tallest skyscraper in Detroit.
GM remains the only member of the Detroit Three automakers headquartered in the Motor City. Ford Motor (NYSE:) is headquartered nearby in Dearborn, Michigan, and Chrysler Stellantis (NYSE:) has its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, about 30 miles (48 km) from Detroit.
Ford is rebuilding Michigan Central Station in downtown Detroit, a historic but dilapidated former train station, to become a major hub for tech workers and software engineers.
GM’s headquarters, with its glowing logo plastered on top of one of the towers, has been an important part of Detroit’s skyline since the automaker acquired the property in 1996. The company reports this on its website.
GM and the real estate company Bedrock, which Gilbert heads, plan to study how to redevelop GM’s Renaissance Center headquarters, The Associated Press reported earlier Monday, citing a person briefed on the plan.
When the automaker allowed remote work during the pandemic, Barra responded to a question about whether GM would remain on the riverbank.
The company has since implemented a policy where workers are asked to come into the office three days a week.
GM also has a technical center in Warren, Michigan, which is home to many of its employees.