Normally, when a large, well-known company moves its headquarters, it’s pretty big news.
That’s because in many cases, the company is moving across the country, or perhaps from the city to the suburbs.
However, General Motors announced a move earlier this week and it seems like it’s been met with a shrug.
That’s because in this case, GM is moving just a few blocks.
It’s not like Boeing bouncing from Seattle to Chicago to Virginia, or even United Airlines decamping Chicago for its suburbs (or McDonald’s, which moved from Chicago’s suburbs to the city proper). The General is moving just a mile.
But it does mean that GM will be leaving one of the most recognizable buildings on the Detroit skyline. Not only does the Renaissance Center, uh, center the skyline when viewed from certain angles, but it’s interesting inside, as well.
And for visitors, infuriating — it’s an easy building to get lost in. Also, the Marriott’s heating system seemed to struggle with Michigan winters during some of my auto-show visits. So maybe the new office will be friendlier to outsiders, let alone GM corporate employees.
I guess I will miss the RenCen in some ways, but I can’t bring myself to care too much otherwise. If GM left Detroit for NYC, or even for Ann Arbor, I might struggle to get my head around it. But regardless of what I think of the RenCen complex, I can’t get too upset about GM moving just a 15-minute walk away.
The question I ask of you, especially those of you who live in the Detroit metro and/or have connections to GM, does this matter to you? Or is it such a small move that it doesn’t really matter?
Sound off below.
[Image: GM]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
