General Motors will move its headquarters from its home of nearly 30 years to the new Hudson’s Detroit building located on Woodford Avenue.
The move is scheduled to take place over the course of next year. General Motors says it will work with developers to ensure its current headquarters, the Renaissance Center overlooking the Detroit River, will be put to good use following its departure. The company has owned the facility outright since 1996, when it paid for the building in cash.
The automaker’s new location is a recently constructed skyscraper owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert. Unlike its previous office, General Motors will pay rent for its stay at the Hudson site, for which it has signed a 15-year lease. The building is the second-tallest in Detroit, overshadowed only by the soon-to-be-vacated Renaissance Center.
Speaking to reporters and local officials on Monday, CEO Mary Barra commented, “It’s important to all of us at GM that we continue to call Detroit our home for a long time to come.” The company has yet to confirm how much the move will cost.
General Motors’ transition to a smaller office space underlines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on corporate teams. Many employees have adapted to remote work over the last four years. While larger businesses, including OEMs, have sought to bring staff members back into the office, their efforts have failed to recreate pre-2020 attendance levels.
