By Herbert J. Strather, Detroit Real Estate Developer
An open letter to Mayor Sheffield, Dan Gilbert, General Motors, and the people of Detroit
Detroit has always been a city of builders.
We built cars. We built industries. We built music that changed the world. We built communities in the middle of struggle and hardship because people here have always known how to create something out of almost nothing.
That same spirit still exists in this city today.
But too many of Detroit’s children are growing up surrounded by underinvestment, limited opportunity, and educational systems struggling to prepare them for the future that is rapidly arriving around them.
This is not because our young people lack intelligence, creativity, or ability.
Anyone who has watched a child master technology, solve problems through gaming, adapt to new systems instantly, or teach themselves skills online understands the truth: the talent is already here.
What is missing is investment.
That is why many people across this city cannot stay silent while discussions continue about demolishing one of Detroit’s most recognized landmarks without first exploring what else it could become for the people of Detroit.
The Renaissance Center does not only represent office space or architecture.
It represents possibility.
And before that possibility is permanently destroyed, the people of this city deserve the opportunity to participate in imagining a different future.
What if parts of the Renaissance Center became a national hub for education, technology, entrepreneurship, innovation, and community development?
What if students could walk through robotics labs, artificial intelligence learning centers, coding academies, engineering simulations, digital arts studios, and business incubators inside one of the most recognizable buildings in America?
What if Detroit transformed a symbol of corporate power into a symbol of opportunity for future generations?
The need is real.
COVID pushed many students further behind academically, but educational inequality existed long before the pandemic. Too many young people across Detroit continue facing barriers to technology access, advanced training, mentorship, and career preparation in rapidly growing industries.
At the same time, Detroit possesses extraordinary talent, resilient communities, world-class institutions, creative entrepreneurs, and people who deeply care about the future of this city.
The question is not whether Detroit has vision.
The question is whether we are willing to invest in that vision before choosing demolition.
This conversation should not belong to one individual, one company, or one political group.
It should belong to the people of Detroit.
Educators. Architects. Engineers. Technology companies. Artists. Universities. Students. Community organizations. Business leaders. Neighborhood residents.
Everyone should have the opportunity to contribute ideas about what these buildings could become before irreversible decisions are made.
So today we are asking something simple and reasonable of the leadership of this city:
Before final demolition decisions move forward, will you give the people of Detroit 90 days?
Ninety days for the community to organize public conversations, redevelopment ideas, partnerships, educational concepts, and constructive proposals for the future of the Renaissance Center.
Ninety days to determine whether these buildings can serve a greater public purpose for future generations.
Ninety days to allow Detroiters themselves to help shape the future of one of the most recognized landmarks in our city.
We are not asking the city to preserve an empty monument without purpose.
And if, after a genuine community effort, no viable and constructive future can be demonstrated for the property, then the community can honestly accept that reality and move forward together.
But before demolition becomes destiny, Detroit deserves the opportunity to dream, to collaborate, and to participate in deciding what comes next.
Because cities are not remembered only for what they tear down.
They are remembered for what they choose to build together.
Contact:
hstrather@gmail.com
313-444-9691
