GM Tech Center

The GM Tech Center is among the most intriguing locations around Detroit. The cloistered campus lies hidden behind a chain link fences and mature trees. While open houses and occasional tours have been hosted over the years, at most visitors only get a glimpse of what really occurs there.

When the center opened in the mid-1950s, it represented the singular vision of famed Finnish architects Eliel and Eero Saarinen. It was Eero’s first major commission. The main campus consists of four major buildings (now five) framing a vast, rectangular reflecting pond.

The entrance off Mound Road north of Twelve Mile offers an awe-inspiring view of the grounds beyond the dynamic fountains along the western edge of the pond. Each building features mirrored glass and gray steel panels with primary colored glazed brick end walls. To the north, the Research building stands beneath a tall, stainless steel ovoid water tower that contrasts with the linear forms of the buildings. To the south, the Design Center is dominated by its modernistic low-slung dome and a second reflecting pond. To the east, the Engineering and Manufacturing centers command most of the length of the lake.

While the buildings exude harsh modernism, the look is softened by broad expanses of grass and rows of mature trees. A broad boulevard circles the lake. Ironically, the campus seems remarkably pedestrian-friendly for the nerve center of a great automobile company.

The lobbies of the buildings are spectacular, too. The Research building features a floating spiral staircase to the second floor. In Design, another set of floating stairs rises above an indoor pool. A giant Rya rug framed a waiting area fitted with Barcelona chairs. Travertine marble abounds. At one time, the receptionist was a former Miss America every bit as spectacular as the building. These days, you’re more likely to be greeted by a burly ex-cop.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of the entire campus is the office originally built for Harley Earl, the first Styling VP. The free-form teak fittings encompassed his desk, a curved sofa and conference table, and at one time, a television. The windows captured the best view in Warren.

Despite its open, inviting architecture, the campus has always been about secrecy. At one time, new car styling was a well-kept and much-anticipated surprise. At the start of the model year, new cars arrived at dealers draped in canvas covers. Inside Styling and later Design, studios for each GM division remained behind locked doors, both to keep outsiders from wandering around, but also to keep the divisions from cross-pollenating. 

In these days of ubiquitous cell phone cameras and Google Earth, it’s much harder to keep a secret, but new cars still intrigue us. 

The GM Tech Center symbolizes that lingering sense of wonder.