John Portman designed the complex, which Henry Ford II conceived through Detroit Renaissance, with a consortium led by Ford Motor Company. Construction began in 1973, the first phase opened on July 1, 1976, and the five tallest towers were done in 1976 and 1977. The infobox gives Modern Brutalist, and the text calls it modern with Brutalist themes.
The central hotel tower is 727 feet (222 m) tall with 73 stories, though the lead says 74. Four 39-story towers surround it, and two 21-story towers were added in 1981. Total floor area is about 5.55 million square feet. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill added the Wintergarden atrium in 2001.
General Motors bought it in 1996. The article reports plans to demolish two towers and most of the podium retail, and says public spaces were closed in 2026.
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