One Kennedy Square
| One Kennedy Square | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of the One Kennedy Square area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 777 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48226 |
| Coordinates | 42°19′53″N 83°02′51″W / 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 |
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.
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]
References
- ^ a b "Kennedy Square". Detroit Historical Society. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ Ankeny, Robert (2001-06-18). "Authority OKs $23M plan for Campus Martius garage". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ Erick, M. L. (2002-03-06). "Kilpatrick anticipating glad rites of construction". Detroit Free Press. pp. 6B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ankeny, Robert; Gargaro, Paul (1997-07-28). "KENNEDY SQUARE SITE GIVEN BOOST: ASSEMBLED LAND INCENTIVE TO DEVELOPERS". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ a b c Gallagher, John (2005-06-10). "An ill-kept secret rises". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 3C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ankeny, Robert (2005-03-30). "Detroit DDA OKs $3.2M loan for Redico office building". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ King, R. J. (2005-05-15). "Ernst to move 400 to new Detroit office tower". The Detroit News and Free Press. pp. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Gallagher, John (2006-04-29). "Kennedy Square rounds out area". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1B, 2B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Tenants move in to One Kennedy Square". Model D Media. 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ "One big vacancy that isn't anymore". Crain's Detroit Business. 2006-12-04. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ "AIA Detroit 2006 design awards". Archived from the original on 2007-05-31. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
- ^ King, R. J. (2017-07-05). "Goodbye Private Offices, EY Redesign in Downtown Detroit Maximizes Efficiency and Taps Local Artists". DBusiness Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ a b King, R. J. (2023-01-09). "Detroit Regional Chamber Moving to New Space Overlooking Campus Martius Park". DBusiness Magazine. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- ^ AlHajal, Khalil (2013-11-11). "Central Michigan University to open Downtown Detroit campus in spring". MLive. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
Further reading
- Cable, Carol (1983). Translucent Architecture: Recent Trends in Glass Construction. Vance Bibliographies. ISBN 0-88066-342-1.
- Kaltenbach, Frank (2004). Translucent Material: Glass, Plastics, Metals (Detail Praxis). Birkhauser. ISBN 3-7643-7033-5.
- Riera, Oscar Ojeda and James McCown (2004). Architecture in Detail: Colors. Rockport Publishers, Inc. ISBN 1-59253-107-5.
External links
- Downtown Detroit photo gallery
- Google Maps future location of One Kennedy Center
- "Emporis building ID 102168". Emporis. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12.
- "One Kennedy Square". SkyscraperPage.