Compuware

Building
One Campus Martius
Detroit, Michigan

John Quinones
Dr. Rowley
November 30th 2017
Honors 1000: Section 517
 Problem Identified Facing the City of
Detroit
Jobs were leaving Downtown Detroit.
(ever since the Decline of Detroit in the 1950s)
Many Companies/employers were leaving Downtown areas, especially in Detroit.
Many companies favored suburban settings.

Example:
The Chrysler Headquarters built in Auburn Hills, Michigan in 1996 bringing thousands of
jobs outside of Detroit and into the suburbs.
Works Cited:
Metzger, Kurt. A Contemporary View of the Detroit Regions History and Demographics. Data Driven
Detroit (D3), 14 Oct. 2010, datadrivendetroit.org/files/D3P/LDXXXII_10.pdf.
Works Cited:
Metzger, Kurt. A Contemporary View of the Detroit Regions History and Demographics. Data Driven
Detroit (D3), 14 Oct. 2010, datadrivendetroit.org/files/D3P/LDXXXII_10.pdf.
 What is Compuware?

It is an American software company with products aimed at the information technology

(IT) departments of large businesses. The companys services include testing,
development, automation, and performance management for programs running on
mainframe computer systems.
Compuware Building vs. Renaissance Center

Same Purpose?
They Were Both Meant to Bring Jobs Back
to Detroit

Renaissance Center built in 1977

Compuware Building built in 2003
Moved from Farmington Hills, Michigan
From suburb to city

Like the Renaissance Center, it was meant to bring jobs back to Downtown
Detroit.
The Compuware Building had a very similar purpose.
 Thousands of Jobs Back to Downtown
Detroit
In the article, Compuware Move Brings New Workers to Central Detroit, by Rebecca
Rezlaff

The company [Compuware] will build a 16-story, $350 million office building in
Downtown Detroit. Over the next six years [from 2000], the project is expected to
add 6,500 to 8,000 people to the ranks of downtown workers (1).

City Officials believe the increase in the number of technical workers will draw
other high-tech companies (1).

Works Cited:
Retzlaff, Rebecca. "Compuware Move Brings New Workers to Central Detroit." Planning, vol. 66, no. 2, Feb. 2000, p. 28.
EBSCOhost,
proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=23h&AN=2772152&site=ehost-
live&scope=site.
 Is the Compuware Building Successful?

This urban form was meant to solve the problem of employment

leaving the city during the past decades.

It has been successful in solving this problem by bringing thousands

of jobs back to Downtown Detroit as well as attracting new tenants

 The Compuware Building Evolution
The addition of many small businesses and major tenants along with Compuware
such as:
Meridian Health (Health Insurance Agency)
Plante Moran (Accounting, Tax, Consulting, and Wealth Management)
Quicken Loans (Mortgage Lender)

In a Detroit Free Press Article by John Gallagher, he states

Long-suffering downtown businesses have been eagerly awaiting Quickens
move from suburban Livonia, [Michigan], seeing it as a sign of better days
ahead (1).
The building is now owned by Dan Gilbert, chairman of Quicken Loans.

Works Cited:
Gallagher, John. "Quicken's Impact Quickly Felt." Detroit Free Press, Aug 17, 2010, ProQuest Central,
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/746567718?accountid=14925.
 Shops and Restaurants can be Left Out

In a Detroit Free Press Article, by Jeff Bennett, he references Peter Karmanos Jr.
I see this as an energetic place. Business is done here, but shops and
restaurants will bring vibrancy and life I believe in this vision (2)
Some smaller shops and restaurants that wish to own space in the building may not
be able to afford the lease.
Space is limited and in high demand given its location.

Works Cited:
Bennett, Jeff. "COMPUWARE BUILDING IS TOPPED SHOPS, EATERIES MAY ADD DRAWING POWER TO AREA." Detroit Free Press, Mar 08, 2002,
ProQuest Central, http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/436353762?accountid=14925.
 Surrounding Businesses do Benefit

Big businesses attract many employees that can strongly support surrounding
businesses.
Restaurants (Texas de Brazil)
Stores (Under Armour, Nike, Moosejaw)
Own space near the Compuware Building as an alternative to save money.
 Why the Compuware Building Matters and
What can We Learn From It

The Compuware Building matters because it brought thousands of jobs to Downtown

Detroit a couple of decades ago, and is still bringing in many jobs as of today.

In a Detroit Free Press article by JC Reindl, he states,

Microsoft, which currently has sales offices in Southfield Town Center, is moveing to Detroit
[One Campus Martius] (1).

We can learn that buildings, such as the Compuware Building, have so much potential in
attracting major companies back into the city from the suburbs.

Works Cited:
Reindl, JC. Small Microsoft Office Could Be next Big Detroit Tenant. Detroit Free Press, Detroit Free Press, 9 Jan. 2017,
www.freep.com/story/money/business/2017/01/09/small-microsoft-office-could-next-big-detroit-tenant/96343162/.
 Works Cited

1. Metzger, Kurt. A Contemporary View of the Detroit Regions History and Demographics. Data Driven
Detroit (D3),
14 Oct. 2010, datadrivendetroit.org/files/D3P/LDXXXII_10.pdf.
2. Retzlaff, Rebecca. "Compuware Move Brings New Workers to Central Detroit." Planning, vol. 66, no. 2,
Feb. 2000, p.
28. EBSCOhost,
proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=23h&AN
=2772152&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
3. Gallagher, John. "Quicken's Impact Quickly Felt." Detroit Free Press, Aug 17, 2010, ProQuest Central,
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/746567718?accountid=14925.
4. Bennett, Jeff. "COMPUWARE BUILDING IS TOPPED SHOPS, EATERIES MAY ADD DRAWING POWER
TO AREA."
Detroit Free Press, Mar 08, 2002, ProQuest Central,
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/436353762?accountid=14925.
5. Reindl, JC. Small Microsoft Office Could Be next Big Detroit Tenant. Detroit Free Press, Detroit Free
Press, 9 Jan. 2017, www.freep.com/story/money/business/2017/01/09/small-microsoft-office-
could-next-big-detroit-tenant/96343162/.