Exploring GM’s New Headquarters

GM recently moved its headquarters from the Renaissance Center, often referred to as “RenCen,” to its new digs, primarily on the upper floors of the former J.L. Hudson’s department store in downtown Detroit. While stylish, the space has been designed to acknowledge and reflect changes in corporate work styles brought about by technology. Valley GMC provides a glimpse into the details of GM’s headquarters.

As the anchor tenant at 1240 Woodward Ave., GM will pay rent for the first time in quite a while, but it will also be relieved of the utilities, maintenance, and overall operating expenses associated with the much larger and increasingly empty RenCen location. The new space is also a much more straightforward workplace, unlike the former location, which included multiple dining centers, a hotel, and a movie theater, and was so large it famously had its own zip code. By contrast, the Hudson’s location has just one small atrium café.

Still, care has been taken to make the new HQ an attractive workplace that will attract desired employees and inspire current ones. It is a much more open workplace, enabling free-flowing communication. Just as years ago, when GM’s Global Technical Center dispensed with its “Mahogany Row,” a hall of fancy executive offices accessed by an exclusive elevator, the Hudson’s location also reflects a more accessible senior management.

Much of the new space has taken its cues from the mid-century modern style of the Warren Tech Center, which was designed in 1956 by modernist architect Eero Saarinen. It featured gold metallic finishes, vertical wood-lined walls, warm recessed lighting, and a blend of clean, linear geometry and subtle curves. That aesthetic has been recreated and modernized by GM Design’s own Architecture and Experience team under the watchful eye of Crystal Windham, Executive Director of Global Industrial Design. Windham is a GM lifer who started in 1994 as an interior designer and eventually rose to director of Cadillac Interior Design in 2016.

“Simple, clean, linear lines ― wood tones and stone,” Windham said. “Keeping things clean and timeless, that was the goal, that was the mission, that was the ask, of our leadership.”

Homages to iconic GM designs are pervasive, including fabrics and materials inspired by past GM model interiors. A Harry Bertoia sculpture prominently located in the building’s atrium will be familiar to many Detroit residents. It was originally commissioned in 1970 for the Genesee Valley Mall in Flint by none other than J.L. Hudson. It later moved to Northland Mall in Southfield, MI, in 1980, but was lost during redevelopment. The sculpture was rediscovered in a demolished mall basement in 2017 by the Southfield Arts Commission, restored by the Harry Bertoia Foundation, and now serves as the centerpiece of the central atrium.

While GM occupies the top floors of the building, it has a presence on the first floor. Entrance One, the original Hudson’s employee entrance, is now a public-accessible space celebrating all things GM, with rotating displays and room for up to seven vehicles. “It’s an area where we can not only showcase our vehicles and innovation, but it’s also an extension where the community can come in for a different experience,” Windham said.

Elsewhere is wallpaper illustrating stacks of cassette tape cases that feature the titles of songs that include GM model names in their lyrics, such as Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac” and Prince’s “Little Red Corvette”, among many others. Even the Atrium’s skylight is inspired by the unique headlight covers of the 1954 Corvette.

GM hasn’t stated how many employees will be housed at its new headquarters. The space is expected to be much more flexible, accommodating large groups and adjusting when employees are sent to other locations.

Time will tell what kind of decisions and subsequent products will result from GM’s new digs, but you can be sure, just as now, some of their best products will be found here at Valley GMC.