One Kennedy Square
Office in Detroit, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
One Kennedy Square is a 10-story mid-rise office building in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is located adjacent to Campus Martius Park and the Detroit Financial District.
| One Kennedy Square | |
|---|---|
| |
 Interactive map of the One Kennedy Square area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 777 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48226 |
| Coordinates | 42.3313°N 83.0474°W |
| Construction started | 2005 |
| Completed | 2006 |
| Cost | $54 million |
| Owner | REDICO |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 73.2 m (240 ft) |
| Roof | 56 m (184 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 10 |
| Floor area | 23,627 m2 (254,320 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | S. Kenneth Neumann Neumann/Smith Architecture |
| Developer | REDICO |
History
One Kennedy Square stands on the former site of the original Detroit City Hall, which was demolished in 1961 after the city government moved to the City-County Building in the 1950s.[1] The site was briefly occupied by the Old City Hall Park, until Kennedy Square, a public plaza with an underground parking garage, opened in 1965. Kennedy Square was primarily constructed of concrete, and included a fountain which fell into disrepair and was decommissioned in the 1970s.[1]
The garage was partially demolished in 2001,[2] and reconstructed with portions of the original walls and foundation, reopening in the fall of 2002.[3] A proposal to build a mid-rise office building on the site was considered as early as 1996, and became integral to the redevelopment of Campus Martius Park in the 2000s.[4]
In 2005, the Detroit Downtown Development Authority sold the development rights to the site to Southfield-based developer REDICO for $1,[5] and leased the parking garage to REDICO.[6] Construction on One Kennedy Square began in the spring of 2005 with little media coverage.[5] Ernst & Young and Visteon were soon announced as its planned primary tenants.[7] The building was completed in 2006 at a cost of $54 million,[5][8] and the first tenants moved in in January 2007.[9] Visteon never occupied the building, instead opting to sublease its space to other corporations.[10]
Description
Architecture
One Kennedy Square was designed in by Neumann/Smith Architects (led by founder and principal S. Kenneth Neumann)[11] in the Modern architectural style. Its exterior primarily consists of green tinted glass, topped by a spire, which is illuminated at night.[8] The interior includes elements of marble.[9]
Tenants
Ernst & Young has been a major tenant since 2007, occupying the top two floors;[9][12] the exterior includes a large sign with the company's logo, near the top on the side facing Campus Martius. Other tenants include the Detroit Regional Chamber,[13] construction firm Walbridge Aldinger,[9] and the Detroit branch of Central Michigan University.[14] At ground level, it includes a Starbucks, a Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and a branch of Citizens Bank.[13]