Southfield Town Center Complex - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Southfield Town Center is a cluster of five golden interconnected skyscrapers forming a contemporary 2200000 square feet (204,386.7 m²) office complex in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan

Southfield, Michigan

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...

. It includes the Westin
Westin Hotels
Westin Hotels & Resorts are an upscale hotel chain owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. As of 2011, Westin operated over 160 hotels in 37 countries.-History:...

Southfield Detroit Hotel, restaurants, a fitness center, and a major conference center for up to 1,000 attendees. This office-hotel complex is situated along Town Center Drive off the John C. Lodge Freeway

M-10 (Michigan highway)

M-10, is a state trunkline route in the US state of Michigan. The southernmost portion follows Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit, and the southern terminus is at the intersection of Jefferson and Randolph Street leading to the entrance to the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel...

, across from Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Technological University, also known as Lawrence Tech or simply LTU, is a private university located in Southfield, Michigan. The school offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs in engineering, science, mathematics, architecture, graphic design, and business...

in the Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit

The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...

, with many of its tallest buildings named after their addresses along the road. Separately, there is a 33 story luxury residential high-rise at 5000 Town Center. The American Center

American Center

The American Center is a high-rise tower in the Metro Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan. It was built in 1975 and stands at 26 stories, with one basement level, for a total of 27 floors....

, another 26 story golden office tower, near the confluence of I-696

Interstate 696

Interstate 696 is an intrastate Interstate Highway entirely within the US state of Michigan. I-696 is also known as the Walter P. Reuther Freeway, named for a prominent figure in early automobile factory labor union activity. I-696 is a spur route, partially circling the city of Detroit, but...

and M-10

M-10 (Michigan highway)

, is not part of the complex.

The Town Center is across from the Civic Center, and is located between West 10 Mile Road and Interstate 696

Interstate 696

, John C. Lodge Freeway

M-10 (Michigan highway)

, and Evergreen Road, as well as being close to the Mixing Bowl

Mixing Bowl

Mixing Bowl is a bowl used for mixing of ingredients.It can also be used for nickname for the following United States highway interchanges:*The confluence of Interstate 696/Reuther Freeway, US-24/Telegraph Rd., M-10/Lodge Freeway, 11 Mile Road, Lahser Road and Franklin Road in the suburbs of...

.

An enclosed two-story garden

Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...

atrium

Atrium (architecture)

In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...

connects the hotel with the towers of the Southfield Town Center. The atrium area also contains 94000 square feet (8,732.9 m²) of retail space. The atrium area is available for large conferences and weddings.

History

Planners adapted the Town Center location to avoid protected wetland areas. The original route for the I-696 freeway placed it along 10 Mile Road southeast of 11 Mile and Greenfield Roads. Recognizing the value of a large office complex and its tax revenue, city planners built a new city hall complex near 10 Mile Road on the east side of Evergreen.

Highway planners re-routed the freeway to run along 11 Mile Road. This delayed construction, but freed up the land to build the first phase, then called the Prudential Town Center (Prudential Life Insurance Company played a major role) with the first skyscraper, 3000 Town Center completed in 1975. A six-lane freeway ramp nearby remained half-completed for about 10 years in order to modify the route to accommodate the massive Town Center project. Additional towers were constructed in 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, and 1989.

Architecture

The complex is an interconnected cluster of skyscrapers with an ornamental golden glass exterior, each with a different geometric configuration forming a Modern architectural

Modern architecture

Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...

style with Postmodern

Postmodern architecture

Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s and continues to influence present-day architecture...

influences. The Modern

Modern architecture

styled buildings contain distinctive elements of High-Tech architecture

High-Tech Architecture

High-tech architecture, also known as Late Modernism or Structural Expressionism, is an architectural style that emerged in the 1970s, incorporating elements of high-tech industry and technology into building design. High-tech architecture appeared as a revamped modernism, an extension of those...

. The complex contains fine restaurants and gift shops which support its function as a major conference center. Inside, the Westin hotel opens to a large enclosed garden

Garden

atrium

Atrium (architecture)

area which connects the Town Center buildings and is available for catering and large events. An aerial view of the separate 5000 Town Center residential high-rise resembles a mirrored pair of grand pianos. As a result, many residents have geometric rooms and common hallways, albeit with picturesque views of the surrounding wooded landscape and Civic Center Park. The complex contains ample parking space in adjoining garages.

Name	Height feet / m	Floors	Year	Area sq feet / m²	Notes
3000 Town Center	402 / 122	32	1975	533,982 / 49,609	The 3000 Town Center is the second tallest building in the state of Michigan outside of Detroit. Architects Neuhaus & Taylor, 3D International designed the tower using the Modern architectural style Modern architecture Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely... . The design exhibits strong cross braces over its golden glass Glass Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives... and steel Steel Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten... . It was the first phase of the Town Center.
1000 Town Center	395 / 120	28	1989	598,232 / 55,578	The 1000 Town Center was designed with a Modern architectural Modern architecture Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely... style using golden glass. Sikes Jennings Kelly & Brewer served as the architects. The tower is an office center for Fifth Third Bank Fifth Third Bank Fifth Third Bank is a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the principal subsidiary of holding company Fifth Third Bancorp .... .
2000 Town Center	370 / 113	28	1986	556,723 / 51,721	The 2000 Town Center contains the Skyline Club, an upscale business club and restaurant, located on the top floor (28). The golden glass tower is a polygonal with the top third of one corner truncated in a step-back pattern, designed with a Modern architectural Modern architecture Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely... style. Sikes Jennings Kelly & Brewer served as the architects. The Consulate of Macedonia in Detroit is in Suite 1130 at 2000 Town Center.
5000 Town Center	328 / 100	33	1983	NA	The 5000 Town Center is a high rise residential tower and reflects a Modern architectural Modern architecture Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely... style. It has an undulating plan, somewhat like a figure-eight. When it was built, this tower was divided into 216 individual units. Due to the merging of a some units, it now has 204 residences. Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates served as the architects.
4000 Town Center	270 / 82	20	1979	386,293 / 35,888	The 4000 Town Center is a 20 story tower and is the shortest of the Town Center office buildings. It was built in the Modern architectural Modern architecture Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely... style, showing a heavy use of golden glass on its exterior. Neuhaus & Taylor, 3D International served as the architects.
1500 Town Center		12	1987	NA	The Westin Southfield Detroit Hotel interconnects with the office complex. The golden glass high-rise has 385 units/rooms and hosts conferences for up to 1,000 attendees. Sikes Jennings Kelly & Brewer designed the hotel in the Modern architectural Modern architecture Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely... style.
Atrium garden		2	1979	94,000 / 8,733	The atrium complex connects the complex and contains retail shops along with the Musashi International (Japanese) restaurant with the Westin's Tango restaurant at the other end of the grand hallway.
Southfield Town Center	402 / 122			2,200,000 / 204,400	The total area excludes residential Tower 5000. The facility serves as a major conference center hosting up to 1,000 attendees. Blackstone Group Blackstone Group The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American-based alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions ,... owns the Town Center complex.

Location

The Southfield Town Center is located diagonally across Evergreen Road and Civic Center Drive (10 Mile Road) from the complex that houses the Southfield City Hall, government offices, courthouse, the contemporary Southfield Public Library

Southfield Public Library

The Southfield Public Library is located at 26300 Evergreen Road in the city of Southfield, Michigan. The library serves the communities of Southfield and Lathrup Village, Michigan, an enclave totally surrounded by Southfield...

, a 9-hole public golf course, a city park and dedicated sports areas, a nature trail, an historic farm property, and an indoor ice rink / olympic-size swimming pool & recreation center. Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Technological University

is directly across the John C. Lodge M-10 Freeway

M-10 (Michigan highway)

from the center.

A variety of contemporary, high-rise office buildings surround the immediate area. Multiple connecting freeways in the vicinity facilitate its central access to the metro region. The property, which abuts the John C. Lodge M-10 Freeway

M-10 (Michigan highway)

, is one-half mile from the Reuther/I-696/I-96 freeway, and is near the Southfield Freeway, I-275, the Chrysler/I-75 freeway, Woodward Avenue / Dixie Highway, and Telegraph Road. Desirable upscale communities of The Village of Franklin, Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township and Farmington Hills are nearby. The City of Royal Oak

Royal Oak, Michigan

Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....

which is about 4 miles (6.4 km) away contains many streetside shops, upscale restaurants, theaters, and the Detroit Zoo

Detroit Zoo

The Detroit Zoological Park, commonly known as the Detroit Zoo, is located about north of the Detroit city limits at the intersection of Woodward Avenue, 10 Mile Road, and Interstate 696 in Royal Oak and Huntington Woods, Michigan, USA...

.
Detroit's Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the International Riverfront, the Renaissance Center complex is owned by General Motors as its world headquarters...

is about a 15-minute drive. Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport (DTW) is about a 20-minute drive. Public transportation

Transportation in metropolitan Detroit

Transportation in metropolitan Detroit is provided by a comprehensive system of transit services, airports, and an advanced network of freeways which interconnect the city and region. The Michigan Department of Transportation administers the region's network of major roads and freeways...

is provided by the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation

The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation ' is the public transit operator serving suburban Greater Detroit. Beginning operations in 1967 as the "SouthEastern Michigan Transportation Authority" or "SEMTA", it operates 44 "linehaul" and three "park-and-ride" bus routes in Wayne,...

(SMART). The Town Center is proximate to major malls in the area by freeway including, Twelve Oaks Mall

Twelve Oaks Mall

Twelve Oaks Mall is a super-regional shopping mall with over 180 stores located in Novi, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The mall is located on the Northeast corner of Interstate 96 and Novi Road. Taubman Centers is the owner and manager of the mall, and it is anchored by Macy's, Lord & Taylor,...

in Novi

Novi, Michigan

Novi is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,224, an increase over the 2000 census count of 47,386. The city is located approximately northwest of the center of Detroit, and northeast of the center of Ann Arbor. The city is located...

, Somerset Collection

Somerset Collection

Somerset Collection is an upscale super-regional shopping mall, with over 180 stores located in a Metro Detroit commercial area on 2800 W. Big Beaver Rd. in Troy, Michigan...

in Troy

Troy, Michigan

Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...

, and Northland Center in Southfield. Providence Hospital in Southfield is nearby.

Residential high-rises and varieties of mid-density housing are within walking distance. The surrounding Southfield area contains single-family homes, many with brick ranch style architecture.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Architecture

Location

See also

External links