Web Journeys into the heart of Detroit
Donate or Buy Items to Help Support This Site
Search this Website
Visit the SoulfulDetroit Forum
Links to DetroitYES related Sites
About this website, its history, creator and goals.
View Site Guide and Table of Contents
Contact Website Management

 

The DetroitYES Project
Created by Lowell Boileau


ATDETROIT.COM
©  All Rights Reserved

Go Back   DetroitYES Forums > Discuss Detroit
Discuss Detroit Discussions with a focus on the fabulous Detroit - Windsor metropolis.
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old February 8th, 2010, 09:16 PM
DetroitPlanner DetroitPlanner is online now
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 869
Hey found my old Ren Cen shopping map from when they opened. I was just a young planner then but I knew I loved development. Here are the stores by level, Starting in tower 100 and working around. Lets take a walk, shall we?

L2
McDonald's
Gantos
Winkleman's
Ms Sibley, Sibley
The Next Door Shop
FAO Schwartz
Jean House
Wachler Jewers
The Man Shop
Olga's
Renaisnce Theatres
Mexican Restraurant (Wow what an original name!)
Hill & Hill
Clancy's
NBD
A whole bunch of nothing between 200 and 300 This at one time became known as the World of Ford.
The Magic Pan
Casual Corner
Whalings
The Limited
Stone Flower
Ramayan Arts
Little King and Queen
Now we reach 400, between 400 and 100 were:
Leonard of London (Ontario!?)
CNB
Sign of the Mermaid
Gallery Renaissance
Courages
Mark Cross
Cartier
Halson
Ungaro
Charles Jourdan
Hattie
The Bevy
Custom Shop
Godiva
Lavilin
Manufacturers Bank.

Now down the escalator or the tiny circular stairwells to L! (remember those?)
Starting again in 100
The Quiet Place
Manfucaturer's Bank (2nd location)
World Camera
Cravings
American Office Supply
Turkes
White's Records
Waldenbooks
Instant Photos/Mementos/Planterra
Cookie Machine
Calumet Tabacco
Waldenbooks
Hoffritz
NRC
Clear Reflections
Fourth Dimension
Bon Ton Shoppe
Charming Ideas/Everyones Nuts/Computer Photo
Money Museum
NBD
American Express
Findahl Galleries
Italian Grinder
Mole Hole
Bunch of nothing between 200 and 300 again! I can recall at one time Crowley thought of putting a store here on both levels, but it never came to be.
First Federal
Thomas Cook
GNC
Hoi King Lau
Nemo's Saloon
Dionysos
Koney Island Inn
Tiffany's (the bakery sorry ladies not pale blue boxes!)
Mikado
Vel's
Phillipine Imports
DOC
Manfreds
Big Boys
Ice Cream Parlor
Chinese Antiques
Grove
Opera
Hotel Lobby.

Promenade (now known as GM World)
A bunch of Bars, Detroit Bank and Trust, Shaperos Drug Store, and Lawrence Mayer.

Statsu, note the ren cen constructoin began long before Mayor Young was in power. It was an offshoot of New Detroit and Detroit Renaissance.

Lets not forget the GM spent a fortune on fixing many of the RenCen's sins by opening it up to Jefferson and the River. GM also built the part of the riverwalk in front of their building. One of the more impressive fixes was done inside the building. With the introduction of the Atrium, the Glass Walkway, and moving the Hotel lobby off the first floor they did a lot to open the place up with light, improve how to move from tower to tower, and keep the hotel folks from getting lost in the carverns! Though I still have a hard time getting to the 'new lobby' from the building itself. Its a lot more functional, open, and inviting than it ever was before GM.

Last edited by DetroitPlanner; February 8th, 2010 at 09:27 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old February 8th, 2010, 09:40 PM
jonathanlivingstonseagull jonathanlivingstonseagull is online now
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 36
Nice work, DP! I am assuming most of the retailers bailed after their lease expired.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old February 10th, 2010, 10:35 AM
iheartthed iheartthed is online now
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,121
Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner View Post
Hey found my old Ren Cen shopping map from when they opened. I was just a young planner then but I knew I loved development. Here are the stores by level, Starting in tower 100 and working around. Lets take a walk, shall we?

L2
McDonald's
Gantos
Winkleman's
Ms Sibley, Sibley
The Next Door Shop
FAO Schwartz
Jean House
Wachler Jewers
The Man Shop
Olga's
Renaisnce Theatres
Mexican Restraurant (Wow what an original name!)
Hill & Hill
Clancy's
NBD
A whole bunch of nothing between 200 and 300 This at one time became known as the World of Ford.
The Magic Pan
Casual Corner
Whalings
The Limited
Stone Flower
Ramayan Arts
Little King and Queen
Now we reach 400, between 400 and 100 were:
Leonard of London (Ontario!?)
CNB
Sign of the Mermaid
Gallery Renaissance
Courages
Mark Cross
Cartier
Halson
Ungaro
Charles Jourdan
Hattie
The Bevy
Custom Shop
Godiva
Lavilin
Manufacturers Bank.

Now down the escalator or the tiny circular stairwells to L! (remember those?)
Starting again in 100
The Quiet Place
Manfucaturer's Bank (2nd location)
World Camera
Cravings
American Office Supply
Turkes
White's Records
Waldenbooks
Instant Photos/Mementos/Planterra
Cookie Machine
Calumet Tabacco
Waldenbooks
Hoffritz
NRC
Clear Reflections
Fourth Dimension
Bon Ton Shoppe
Charming Ideas/Everyones Nuts/Computer Photo
Money Museum
NBD
American Express
Findahl Galleries
Italian Grinder
Mole Hole
Bunch of nothing between 200 and 300 again! I can recall at one time Crowley thought of putting a store here on both levels, but it never came to be.
First Federal
Thomas Cook
GNC
Hoi King Lau
Nemo's Saloon
Dionysos
Koney Island Inn
Tiffany's (the bakery sorry ladies not pale blue boxes!)
Mikado
Vel's
Phillipine Imports
DOC
Manfreds
Big Boys
Ice Cream Parlor
Chinese Antiques
Grove
Opera
Hotel Lobby.

Promenade (now known as GM World)
A bunch of Bars, Detroit Bank and Trust, Shaperos Drug Store, and Lawrence Mayer.

Statsu, note the ren cen constructoin began long before Mayor Young was in power. It was an offshoot of New Detroit and Detroit Renaissance.

Lets not forget the GM spent a fortune on fixing many of the RenCen's sins by opening it up to Jefferson and the River. GM also built the part of the riverwalk in front of their building. One of the more impressive fixes was done inside the building. With the introduction of the Atrium, the Glass Walkway, and moving the Hotel lobby off the first floor they did a lot to open the place up with light, improve how to move from tower to tower, and keep the hotel folks from getting lost in the carverns! Though I still have a hard time getting to the 'new lobby' from the building itself. Its a lot more functional, open, and inviting than it ever was before GM.
Wasn't there a Louis Vuitton store in the Ren Cen too?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old February 10th, 2010, 11:03 AM
Traveller1 Traveller1 is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 55
Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner View Post
Hey found my old Ren Cen shopping map from when they opened. I was just a young planner then but I knew I loved development. Here are the stores by level, Starting in tower 100 and working around. Lets take a walk, shall we?

L2
McDonald's
Gantos
Winkleman's
Ms Sibley, Sibley
The Next Door Shop
FAO Schwartz
Jean House
Wachler Jewers
The Man Shop
Olga's
Renaisnce Theatres
Mexican Restraurant (Wow what an original name!)
Hill & Hill
Clancy's
NBD
A whole bunch of nothing between 200 and 300 This at one time became known as the World of Ford.
The Magic Pan
Casual Corner
Whalings
The Limited
Stone Flower
Ramayan Arts
Little King and Queen
Now we reach 400, between 400 and 100 were:
Leonard of London (Ontario!?)
CNB
Sign of the Mermaid
Gallery Renaissance
Courages
Mark Cross
Cartier
Halson
Ungaro
Charles Jourdan
Hattie
The Bevy
Custom Shop
Godiva
Lavilin
Manufacturers Bank.

Now down the escalator or the tiny circular stairwells to L! (remember those?)
Starting again in 100
The Quiet Place
Manfucaturer's Bank (2nd location)
World Camera
Cravings
American Office Supply
Turkes
White's Records
Waldenbooks
Instant Photos/Mementos/Planterra
Cookie Machine
Calumet Tabacco
Waldenbooks
Hoffritz
NRC
Clear Reflections
Fourth Dimension
Bon Ton Shoppe
Charming Ideas/Everyones Nuts/Computer Photo
Money Museum
NBD
American Express
Findahl Galleries
Italian Grinder
Mole Hole
Bunch of nothing between 200 and 300 again! I can recall at one time Crowley thought of putting a store here on both levels, but it never came to be.
First Federal
Thomas Cook
GNC
Hoi King Lau
Nemo's Saloon
Dionysos
Koney Island Inn
Tiffany's (the bakery sorry ladies not pale blue boxes!)
Mikado
Vel's
Phillipine Imports
DOC
Manfreds
Big Boys
Ice Cream Parlor
Chinese Antiques
Grove
Opera
Hotel Lobby.

Promenade (now known as GM World)
A bunch of Bars, Detroit Bank and Trust, Shaperos Drug Store, and Lawrence Mayer.

Statsu, note the ren cen constructoin began long before Mayor Young was in power. It was an offshoot of New Detroit and Detroit Renaissance.

Lets not forget the GM spent a fortune on fixing many of the RenCen's sins by opening it up to Jefferson and the River. GM also built the part of the riverwalk in front of their building. One of the more impressive fixes was done inside the building. With the introduction of the Atrium, the Glass Walkway, and moving the Hotel lobby off the first floor they did a lot to open the place up with light, improve how to move from tower to tower, and keep the hotel folks from getting lost in the carverns! Though I still have a hard time getting to the 'new lobby' from the building itself. Its a lot more functional, open, and inviting than it ever was before GM.
What exactly happend to all the space that all these stores took up at one time? Did they become office space or something? When you look at the shops the RenCen has in 2010 it doesn't compare at all to the list when it first opened.

Today's List:
Ashley's Flowers
Ashley's Flowers
BonBons Candy and Godiva Chocolatier
Calumet Market & Spirits
Cherylynn's Gold Crown Hallmark
Coffee Beanery
Costa D'Oro Jewelers
CVS Pharmacy
Detroit Locker Room
Edible Arrangements
Exquisite Shoe Fixers
Jos. A. Bank
Millender Center Food Plaza
Pure Detroit/GM Collection
Renaissance 500 Tobacco Shop
Sam's Tailor Shop
Scentsations Fragrance & Crystal Boutique
The Runway
Tunnel Liquor & Gift Shoppe
U.S. Post Office

Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old February 10th, 2010, 12:11 PM
Hermod Hermod is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,228
Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveller1 View Post
What exactly happend to all the space that all these stores took up at one time? Did they become office space or something? When you look at the shops the RenCen has in 2010 it doesn't compare at all to the list when it first opened.

Today's List:
Ashley's Flowers
Ashley's Flowers
BonBons Candy and Godiva Chocolatier
Calumet Market & Spirits
Cherylynn's Gold Crown Hallmark
Coffee Beanery
Costa D'Oro Jewelers
CVS Pharmacy
Detroit Locker Room
Edible Arrangements
Exquisite Shoe Fixers
Jos. A. Bank
Millender Center Food Plaza
Pure Detroit/GM Collection
Renaissance 500 Tobacco Shop
Sam's Tailor Shop
Scentsations Fragrance & Crystal Boutique
The Runway
Tunnel Liquor & Gift Shoppe
U.S. Post Office
None of which do more than service the folks that work in the building.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old February 10th, 2010, 05:04 PM
DetroitPlanner DetroitPlanner is online now
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 869
Note that today the ren cen toaday also includes 2 additional towers and the millender center which all have retail.

Regarding Louis Vitton, it would not surprise me if it did. I seem to recall it having the store, but Mark Cross was a very similar type of store in the 1970's. Remember my list was made off of a snapshot in time (a visitors guide map) when the place first opened with a couple of remarks thrown in for good measue. Lots of stores have come and gone since it first opened. The layout of the store levels have been significantly altered at least twice, with smaller alterations when the people mover and tunnel to millender were built.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:22 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.