This is the second in a series of reports on the construction progress at the permanent casinos. If you missed the first, on Motor City, check it here.
A massive gleaming structure has risen from what was once an area where DTE Energy employees parked their rides.
The brand-new hotel, casino and conference and banquet center are on target for an October 2 opening. Tom Sherry, vice president of project architect Hamilton Anderson Associates, says the upper floors of the hotel rooms are being built out and that the focus is currently on the lobby and the spa. "MGM looked at (the spa) as a pretty intense need in the marketplace," Sherry says. The conference center and 14,000-square foot ballroom, as well as the casino itself, is nearly complete.
The facility will include
Wolfgang Puck and
Michael Mina restaurants, adding an upscale flavor to the downtown fine dining scene.
The project's landscaping is progressing quickly. Work is being done from the north end of the property down Third to Michigan Avenue, and Sherry estimates it will be complete by the end of this week. He looks forward to "Third being a unifier rather than a divider" in the downtown landscape. Wayfinding signage will start being erected shortly as well.
As for the Detroit hotel and casino, Sherry thinks it, along with the Book-Cadillac and the Rosa Parks Transit Center, will be an anchor to the west side of downtown. "In the next five years, on that side of town, it will be exciting to watch," he says.
Hamilton Anderson is partnering with
SmithGroup on the project.
Source: Tom Sherry,
Hamilton Anderson AssociatesWriter: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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