Renaissance Center (c. 1976)

2015.007.056
detroithistori...
Color 16mm film reel containing a film promoting the Renaissance Center, produced while it was still under construction. The film features a narrator describing the project over numerous shots of the building's construction, and shots of models of both the complex's exterior and interior. The film is set to a jazz-funk rendition of the Sunrise segment of Also Sprach Zarathustra performed by Eumir Deodato.
The intro of the film includes shots of the demolition of Robin Hood Flour to prepare the site, Henry Ford II speaking at an event, the construction, and Coleman A. Young visiting the construction site. The narrator note's Detroit's proximity to Canada, role as a busy port, industries (both automotive and non-automotive), rank as the fourth largest financial center, and colleges and universities.
Architect John C. Portman Jr.'s Peachtree Center in Atlanta, and San Francisco's Embarcadero Center are both introduced, The narrator mentions the effects of these projects on their cities, and notes Portman's focus on creating tall open spaces.
The film then focuses on the layout of the Renaissance Center. He narrator notes that the podium with contain a shopping center, and four office towers will rise from its corners. In the center, the Detroit Plaza will stand as "the world's tallest hotel." The camera pans through models of the central tower's atrium as the narrator describes its features including a rotating cocktail lounge and reflecting pool. The film also explains that the Detroit Center will by topped by The Sundial, a multi-level rotating restaurant at the top of the tower.
The film concludes with a rapid scroll listing the fifty-one corporate partners involved in the Renaissance Center's development.