Renaissance Center station explained

Renaissance Center
Style:Detroit People Mover
Address:400 E Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48243
United States
Coordinates:42.3302°N -83.0399°W
Connections: DDOT 9
Structure:Elevated
Platform:1 side platform
Tracks:1
Opened:July 31, 1987
Rebuilt:2004
Accessible:yes
Owned:Detroit Transportation Corporation
Passengers:487,758
Pass Year:2014
Pass Rank:2 out of 13
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Marker:rail-light
Zoom:15

Renaissance Center station is a Detroit People Mover station in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located on Jefferson Avenue at Beaubien Boulevard, attached to the Renaissance Center complex. The station's lobby is located inside the Renaissance Center, on its second floor, with a street-level entrance connected by an elevator; a skybridge connects the lobby to the station structure.

The station serves the Renaissance Center, which provides access to the Detroit Riverwalk, and is connected by skybridge to the Millender Center, which also has its own People Mover station.[1] In 2014, this stop was the second most heavily trafficked (behind only Greektown) with 487,758 riders.[2]

History

The original Renaissance Center station opened with the system on July 31, 1987, and was built into a large concrete berm separating the Center from downtown Detroit. The station and berms were demolished in September 2002, after which the current station was completed, opening on November 22, 2004.[3] [4] [5]

The People Mover shut down temporarily on March 30, 2020, due to decreased ridership amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Following the system's May 2022 restart, the station reopened on September 14, 2022.[7]

Public art

Both the original and rebuilt stations opened with tile mosaics created by George Woodman. The original station's work, Dreamers and Voyagers Come to Detroit, consisted of hundreds of multicolored hexagonal tiles, designed by Woodman to connect in infinite combinations.[8] It was destroyed in 2002 with the station's demolition, and Woodman was commissioned to design a replacement work, Path Games, for the new station. Path Games emulates its predecessor, with 2,625 square tiles of similar design.[9]

The station's lobby also features Siberian Ram, a bronze sculpture by Marshall Fredericks, a Michigan sculptor best known for creating The Spirit of Detroit. Siberian Ram is displayed against a backdrop of green Pewabic Pottery tiles, similar to those used at Cadillac Center station, flanked on either side by Path Games.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Station Guide . 2024-04-25 . Detroit People Mover.
  2. Web site: Lawrence . Eric D . People Mover's Grand Circus Station back in service . Detroit Free Press . June 24, 2015 . August 27, 2015.
  3. Web site: 2004-04-02 . New entry plaza will be the end of Renaissance Center renovation . 2022-07-04 . Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council.
  4. Web site: O'Leary . Chris . 2009-07-14 . Detroit's People Mover: seizing the opportunity to correct a mistake . 2022-07-04 . On Transport . en.
  5. News: Bullock . Lorinda . 2004-11-17 . Renaissance Indeed: Tile Art Reborn . . 3B . Newspapers.com.
  6. Web site: Rahal . Sarah . 2022-05-19 . Detroit People Mover resumes service with free rides for 90 days . 2022-06-18 . The Detroit News . en-US.
  7. Web site: 2022-09-14 . Sept. 14 Special Notice - Partial Loop Service 7A-5P . Detroit People Mover.
  8. Web site: Conn . Pamela . Marx . Sue . 1988 . Art in the Stations: Detroit People Mover . Video . YouTube.
  9. Book: Walt, Irene . Art in the Stations: The Detroit People Mover . Art in the Stations Committee . 2004 . 0-9745392-0-1 .
  10. Book: Walt, Irene . Art in the Stations: The Detroit People Mover . Art in the Stations Committee . 2004 . 0-9745392-0-1 .