It may take an additional $500 million to get it right, but the Renaissance Center is finally becoming the building that everyone hoped it would be when it opened in 1977.

Widely criticized over the years for its circular, maze-like corridors, the fortress-like berms in front of the entrance, and a design which separated it from the rest of Downtown Detroit, the Ren Cen has been undergoing major reconstructive surgery by Turner Construction, numerous subcontractors and the building trades.

Between 500 and 600 Hardhats are currently on the project, and many more helped build the original Ren Cen at a time when construction jobs were relatively scarce.

"It was a great job, there were a lot of good guys and a lot of work," said Al Friend, a Local 25 iron worker who worked on all six Ren Cen towers. He said erecting the Westin Hotel, a skyscraper that is still the tallest building in Michigan didn't have much of an effect on him at the time.

"You know, after we did the 39-story towers, there's not that much difference in height when you get to 70, they're all pretty high," Friend said.

On Oct. 1, 1996 General Motors saw a good opportunity in the skyscrapers, and purchased the Renaissance Center for $75 million to make it its global headquarters and announced plans to relocate 9,000 staff to the towers.

Besides the Mackinac Bridge, the Ren Cen is perhaps Michigan's most visible structure. Groundbreaking took place on May 22, 1973 for the project's first phase, the 73-story, 1,500-room Westin Hotel (now a Marriot) surrounded by four 39-story office buildings, all owned by Ford Motor Land Development.

That phase was dedicated on April 15, 1977, and two years later, work began on the shorter Towers 500 and 600, which were completed in 1981. All told, the 5.5 million square-foot center sits on 14 acres and cost $350 million to build.

The design of the Renaissance Center, by architect John Portman, literally left office workers walking in circles, and hotel guests and other visitors were similarly befuddled. The first major facelift of the RenCen came in 1985, when a new Jefferson Ave. entrance was built and the hotel lobby was remodeled. The re-design didn't help too much.

"The RenCen was less than 10 years old when its former owners undertook a $27 million renovation in an effort to breathe life into the bunker," said architectural writer Kevin Piotrowski. "All that project accomplished was to show that it would take several million more to make the building so much as navigable, let alone inviting. But with almost 20 times as much money and what appears to be genuine commitment to integrating its headquarters with its hometown, (GM's) plans suggests there may yet be hope for Portman's most spectacular failure."

Yeesh. That may be a little strong, but one of the world's largest companies saw a great future for the complex, although it needed some work. When they bought the center, Matthew Cullen, general manager of GM's Enterprise Activities Group, said the hotel alone "has been undercapitalized for years, and the wear and tear shows."

As a result, Turner, its subcontractors and the trades have been tearing up virtually the entire interior and starting over atop the concrete and steel skeleton.

• Unlike the old Ren Cen, the new GM headquarters building will have a defined front door and back door. The notorious 30-foot-tall concrete berms that house the center's heating and cooling systems - and act as a barrier to the rest of downtown - will be a thing of the past. The mechanical systems are being relocated.
• The "back door" will be the Winter Garden - the most significant architectural change to the complex. The five-story glass-enclosed atrium will open up the Ren Cen to views of the Detroit River and Windsor, Ontario. It will include flowers, trees, stores and restaurants. Outside, the Winter Garden will open up into a riverfront promenade, featuring a tree-lined walkway that may someday extend from the Ambassador Bridge to the Belle Isle Bridge. "The goal," GM says, "is to bring natural light into the Ren Cen's interior retail spaces that now operate in a bunker-like environment."
• A new "circulation ring," - a 12-foot wide glass walkway suspended at the second level - is expected to "help solve what has been the most long-standing problem at the Ren Cen - finding one's way around the labyrinthian hallways," said GM. Ramps vector off at the entrance of each of the four office towers.
• A year ago, The Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center hotel began the first phase of a $100 million, three-year renovation. Entire groups of floors were emptied so renovations could take place without disturbing guests. The hotel's elevators have been modernized and reconditioned to be "smarter," with faster dispatch and delivery.

More than 1,300 rooms are slated to be refurbished. Rooms will include a new floor plan, heating and cooling system, carpeting, bathtubs, modern plumbing fixtures, updated furniture, improved lighting and fresh wall coverings. Guestroom hallways will also undergo a complete makeover.

Completion is expected in spring of 2002.

"It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since I worked there," said Local 98 plumber Jim Petts, who installed sinks, piping and plumbing fixtures from the bottom to the top of the hotel. "It was definitely a good job for plumbing, there was a lot of work to be done. I look back on it now and it really was a landmark job. I guess what I really remember is the people. There were a lot of good people on that job."

ERECTING STEEL in what will be "the Winter Garden" area of the GM Renaissance Center are Iron Workers Local 25 members Josh Hamric, Jim Marion, Mike Kibat and Steve Poisson.

AN ARTIST'S RENDITION of the Winter Garden behind the Renaissance Center and boardwalk that will be built next to the Detroit River. Underutilized for years, the area between the Detroit River and the Renaissance Center will undergo a dramatic change in the next few years.