Quicken Loan king Dan Gilbert is not only gobbling up buildings downtown at lightning speed, but he's also changing the look and design of properties.
John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press reports that he's changing the look "from the Christmas lights that adorn storefronts on Woodward to the colorful street furniture Gilbert’s team placed outside buildings including Chase Tower, design-by-Gilbert delivers a visual jolt that’s hard to miss."
To boot, he's changing work spaces and piping in outdoor music at some buildings, Gallagher reports.
“We’re all about energy,” Jim Ketai, co-managing partner of Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services told the Freep “It’s creating a working environment that makes people feel alive.”
He's changed the look of the Madison Building and the interior of the First National Building where upscale Poppa Joe's grocery store is slated to open. In the lobby, hip, edgy seating has been set up for people to work on laptops and sip coffee.
But the biggest impact is yet to come.
Gilbert has plans to build a signature complex ontop of the old Hudson's building. In November, Gilbert's folks announced that SHoP Architects of New York City will lead the design process for the J.L. Hudson site, with Detroit's Hamilton Anderson Associates as their local partner. -- Allan Lengel
