Cadillac Centre

This article is about the proposed Detroit skyscraper complex. For the attached skyscraper, see Cadillac Tower. For the New Center Detroit skyscraper, see Cadillac Place. For the People Mover station, see Cadillac Center (Detroit People Mover).
Cadillac Centre
An artist's rendering of the proposed Cadillac Centre
Map
General information
StatusNever built
TypeCommercial offices
Residential
Architectural stylePostmodern
Deconstructivist
LocationCampus Martius
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates42°19′55″N 83°02′44″W / 42.33194°N 83.04556°W / 42.33194; -83.04556
Technical details
Floor countTwo 24-story towers
and a 12-story base.
Design and construction
Architect(s)Anthony Caradonna
AC/2 Studio
DeveloperNorthern Group Inc.

Cadillac Centre was a proposed contemporary complex to be constructed in downtown Detroit, Michigan on the Monroe block of Campus Martius.[1][2][3] In January 2008, the city announced that the complex was approved for construction with groundbreaking planned for September 2009, but the project was placed on hold indefinitely due to an economic recession.[1] Expected to cost $150-million, the mixed-use development called for two 24-story towers to rise from a 12-story base which would connect to the 40-story Cadillac Tower.[2] The upscale residential high-rise was slated to include a retail and entertainment complex. The architect was Anthony Caradonna, an associate professor with Pratt Institute School of Architecture in New York City and a principal with the AC/2 Studio firm, whose recent projects have included the Hotel Duomo in Molfetta, Italy and the Bar Solex in New York City.[1][2]

The Detroit Free Press reported in early October 2008 that the New York–based developers were having trouble meeting their deadline,[4] and the Detroit Economic Growth Corp rejected a revised $40 million proposal described as a "dressed-up parking garage" by DEGC President George W. Jackson. Failing to meet the standards of the DEGC, the project was put on hold indefinitely.[5]

Impact

Styled in the postmodern architectural genre known as deconstructivism, the $150-million Cadillac Center was expected to have a profound impact on development in downtown Detroit as a mixed-use residential and commercial complex. Anthony Caradonna's steel-glass design for Cadillac Centre, reminiscent of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao,[2][3] was slated to face Campus Martius Park, a central gathering place in downtown Detroit. Developer Northern Group was the then owner of Detroit's Penobscot Building, First National Building, and Cadillac Tower. The existing Gothic-Revival Cadillac Tower would have connected with and incorporated the new Cadillac Centre.[2] The futuristic Cadillac Centre would have been constructed on Detroit's historic Monroe block, once a collection of eight antebellum commercial buildings demolished in 1989.[6]

Architect

The architect of record is Anthony Caradonna, a faculty member at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture and a principal with the firm of OPUS Architecture and Design Studios based in New York City and Rome, Italy.[2] He is a graduate of the Pratt Institute and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.[7] His recent projects include the Hotel Duomo in Molfetta, Italy and the Bar Solex in New York City[2] He earned a medal of merit from the American Institute of Architects in 1986.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Kavanaugh, Kelli B. (January 8, 2008).Development News:Architecturally daring Cadillac Centre announced, will break ground in 2009 Archived 2008-01-12 at the Wayback Machine.Model D Media. Retrieved on January 20, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Detroit Gets New Era in Downtown Living With Iconic $150 Million Cadillac Centre on Campus Martius Park". Reuters (Press release). Northern Group, Inc. 6 January 2008. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2013-12-28.
  3. ^ a b c Kavanaugh, Kelli B. (January 15, 2008).A New Design for Detroit.Model D Media. Retrieved on April 12, 2008.
  4. ^ Gallagher, John (2008-10-03). "Cadillac Centre project in trouble". Freep.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
  5. ^ Duggan, Daniel (6 October 2008). "Detroit Economic Growth Corp. ends Cadillac Centre deal - Detroit ..." Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  6. ^ Hyde, Charles (May–June 1991).Demolition by Neglect: The Failure to Save the Monroe Block Archived January 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.Michigan History Magazine.Retrieved on January 20, 2008.
  7. ^ Pratt Institute Faculty Archived 2007-12-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on January 20, 2008.

Further reading