Gilbert's vision for Hudson's site: One-of-a-kind building

Businessman Dan Gilbert plans to reinvent the now-vacant Hudson's site in downtown Detroit with a uniquely designed building meant to attract attention around the world.

Just how ambitious those plans are can be glimpsed in what an early design for the site shows — a cutting edge glass-and-ceramic design, including a facade that could open in the summer, and a combination of retail, residential and other uses.

Matt Cullen, president and CEO of Gilbert's Rock Ventures, confirmed the images shown in an architecture lecture last month by

Gilbert's architects reflect some concepts they like but not a final design.

"I will say that's not the current design," Cullen said. "We're at a stage where we're trying to determine what we're going to build there. ... I can't tell you exactly what we're doing. We're refining it, and we're getting smarter. It will be retail. It will be mixed use, and those are not new factoids."

The general architectural vision is being refined by New York-based SHoP architects, a firm hired by Gilbert in late 2013 to work on the Hudson's site. Gregg Pasquarelli, a principal in the firm, presented the preliminary plans in February during a lecture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

If built anything like the early concept shown by Pasquarelli, the finished building would rank high in terms of architectural significance. The final project could rival or exceed anything built in Detroit at least since the Renaissance Center in the 1970s. Think Empire State Building, the Guggenheim Museum, Sydney Opera House, World Trade Center.

The final project could create a new postcard image for the city that combined with the Ilitch family's planned hockey arena and entertainment district on the north end of downtown would give the city a blockbuster pair of nationally significant architectural icons.

But Cullen emphasized that there is no final programming for what the building would contain, no budget, and no timetable. He said Gilbert's team could make some final choices by the end of this year.

Last week, when asked about the site, Gilbert said, "We definitely plan on building on the Hudson's site, a special type of building. ... We're looking at designs. We keep going back and forth. We keep debating."

Lifetime opportunity

Gilbert gained design control of the city-owned Hudson's site as part of moving his Quicken Loans headquarters downtown from the suburbs in 2010. In late 2013, he hired SHoP, an award-winning firm known for its cutting-edge designs, including a major extension of Google's headquarters in California.

At the time, Gilbert spoke of creating an iconic building on the site that would represent Detroit's rebirth. He called it the "opportunity of a lifetime, and we are committed to getting it right. ... Our goal is that this project will become not only a symbol of Detroit's past and present, but more importantly, highlight the high-tech potential, creative future of opportunities for Detroiters and visitors from around the world."

In his Feb. 11 lecture in California, Pasquarelli said the project had just gotten the go-ahead from his client to move ahead from conceptual images to more detailed design plans.

But Cullen said that the design has changed in significant ways since Pasquarelli gave his lecture. For example, he said the current thinking no longer includes a trio of museums that Pasquarelli discussed. Also, Cullen said that residential has been added and that issues such as how the building's retail storefronts would interact with Woodward Avenue still need to be hammered out.

Also, a project of this magnitude requires multiple approvals from Detroit's government officials, including City Council approval to use the site for this use, before getting built.

On Wednesday, Cullen talked about how iconic architectural buildings, such as the Sydney Opera House, can build positive images for cities. But he also stressed the difficulties of achieving such iconic status for any building, however novel the design.

"We have terrific architecture, so to build on that foundation with additional things I think is terrific," Cullen said.

Built in stages over several decades, the old Hudson's store closed in 1983 and, after several failed attempts to transform it into housing or other uses, was imploded in 1998. Since then, the site has remained available, with an underground city-owned parking garage the only new development there.

Columnist Rochelle Riley contributed to this report. Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep.