Encyclopedia Of Detroit
One Detroit Center
One Detroit Center, located at 500 Woodward Avenue in the center of Detroit’s business and financial district, was once known as Comerica Tower at Detroit Center, and is currently known as Ally Detroit Center. Comerica Bank used the building for its headquarters until 2007 when the company announced it was moving to Dallas, Texas. In 2012, when their lease for office space in One Detroit Center expired, Comerica moved its remaining Michigan employees to the Comerica Bank Center at 411 Lafayette Boulevard.
One Detroit Center is 619 feet tall and has 43 stories. It is the tallest office building in Michigan and the second tallest building overall in the state, behind the central hotel tower of the Renaissance Center. While the Penobscot Building has more stories, One Detroit Center has taller floors, making its height greater than the Penobscot. The building was designed by John Burgee and Philip Johnson. Construction began in 1991 finished in 1993. The building is topped by neo-gothic style spires and uses modern granite on its finish giving it a post-modern architectural style.
In March of 2015 the building was purchased for more than $100 million by Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services. In the spring of 2016, Ally Financial Services moved its 1,300 employees from the suburbs and from the Renaissance Center to new offices covering 13 floors of One Detroit Center. The building was renamed the Ally Detroit Center and Ally agreed to contribute $50 million to the renovation of those 13 floors.
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