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Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center

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The Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center (CTC) is the North American headquarters and main research and development facility for the automobile manufacturer Stellantis. The 504-acre (204 ha) complex is located next to Interstate 75 in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit. The complex has 5,400,000 square feet (500,000 m2) of usable space, placing it the third largest buildings in the world by floor space.[1] Completed between 1993 and 1996 for the Chrysler Corporation, the building has followed the company as it changed hands several times since, serving as the North American headquarters for DaimlerChrysler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and now Stellantis North America.

Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center
The west side of the Headquarters tower featuring a banner advertising the 4th gen Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Map
General information
TypeOffice/R&D
Address1000 Chrysler Drive
Town or cityAuburn Hills, Michigan
CountryUnited States
Coordinates42°39′15.7″N 83°14′1″W / 42.654361°N 83.23361°W / 42.654361; -83.23361
Completed1993 (Technology Center)
1996 (Headquarters)
OwnerStellantis
Height
Roof249 ft (76 m)
Technical details
Floor count15
Floor area5,400,000 sq ft (500,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)CRSS Inc. (Technology Center)
SmithGroup (Headquarters)

History

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Before moving to the Auburn Hills headquarters, Chrysler was based at the Highland Park Chrysler Plant campus,[2] which predated the formation of the company itself. It was located along I-75, roughly one mile (1.6 km) southeast of the Highland Park Ford Plant.

Planning for the Chrysler Technology Center began in 1984, and construction started in the fall of 1986.[3] The facility was largely complete upon its dedication on October 15, 1991, and it reached full occupancy in 1993. During construction, a new exit with direct access to the complex was added to I-75.

On September 9, 1992, Chrysler announced that they would move their headquarters from the Highland Park complex to a new office tower at the Technology Center.[2] Ground was broken on the 15-floor expansion in 1993, and it was completed in 1996.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum, opened in October 1999, was also located on the CTC campus. The museum closed in 2012. It reopened, with reduced hours, in 2016, and closed permanently in December that year. Chrysler then converted the museum building to office space, and it currently houses the US headquarters of Maserati and Alfa Romeo.[4][5] Most of the vehicles from the museum were moved to an FCA facility in Detroit formerly used as a factory for the production of the Dodge Viper, but have not been on public display since.[6]

Since the mid-2000s, Chrysler has regularly wrapped the west side of the tower with large advertisements for the company's vehicles, visible to motorists passing the complex on Interstate 75.[7]

Stellantis also maintains offices at the historic Chrysler House in downtown Detroit.[8]

Design

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Aerial view of the complex. The shadow of the 15-story headquarters tower can be seen at the left end of the cross-shaped Technology Center building.

CRSS Architects[a] designed the Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center in a cross-axial formation where its elongated atrium topped concourses converge with an octagonal radiant skylight at its center.

The tower, designed by SmithGroup, features a massive 35-foot (11 m) tall window at the top shaped like the company's five-pointed Pentastar logo.[9][10] The rounded-off exterior corners of the tower are meant to evoke a polished car body. At 249 feet (76 m) tall, it is the tallest building in the city of Auburn Hills.[11]

The facility includes a full laboratory level with various wind tunnels, a 1.8-mile (2.9 km) evaluation road, noise, vibration, and harshness testing facility, electromagnetic compatibility center, climatic wind tunnel (able to create rain, snow, and extreme temperatures), and pilot production plant. A 57,000 square feet (5,300 m2) training center was included from the start, with a teleconferencing center and fitness center. The basement hallways are large enough for two cars to pass each other, allowing some testing within the building; and the test cells have their own separate foundation, to avoid vibrating the rest of the complex.[12]

During the automotive industry crisis of 2008–2010, some automotive news sites reported that the complex was designed to be converted to a shopping mall.[9][13] This theory was later disproved, based on mall industry analysis and speculation from local real estate investors.[14]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Caudill Rowlett Scott known as (CRS-Sirrine) and (CRSS) of Houston, Texas, was succeeded by the Jacobs Engineering Group of Pasadena, California.

References

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  1. ^ "Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center". FCA US LLC. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "COMPANY NEWS; Chrysler to Move Its Headquarters". The New York Times. September 9, 1992. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Chrysler to break ground on $800-million tech center". UPI. October 27, 1986. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  4. ^ Snavely, Brent. "Maserati is headed to Auburn Hills offices". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Alfa Romeo Launches New Brand Headquarters In Italy:". MoparInsiders. April 22, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "Walter P. Chrysler Museum cars get new home in old Dodge Viper factory". Autoblog. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "Innovative Media Installs a Big-Time Building Wrap on Chrysler HQ". FCA Work Vehicles Blog. October 15, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "Stellantis Media - Chrysler House Welcomes First Chrysler Group Employees into New Downtown Detroit Office". media.stellantisnorthamerica.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Chrysler HQ designed for mall duty if automaker leaves". Autoblog. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  10. ^ insideauburnhills (October 23, 2017). "A city within a city – right here in Auburn Hills". Inside Auburn Hills. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "Tallest buildings in Auburn Hills". Emporis. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "Chrysler Technical Center (CTC) and Auburn Hills Complex". allpar.com. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  13. ^ "Chrysler HQ Designed To Convert Into Shopping Mall". Jalopnik.com. May 5, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  14. ^ Hopkins, Carol (May 5, 2009). "Turning Chrysler headquarters into a mall may be 'urban legend'". The Oakland Press. Retrieved August 15, 2012.

Further reading

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  • Fisher, Dale (2005). Southeast Michigan: Horizons of Growth. Grass Lake, MI: Eyry of the Eagle Publishing. ISBN 1-8911-4325-5.
  • Higgins, James V (October 14, 1991). "Investment in the Future: Chrysler expects payback in innovation and efficiency". The Detroit News.
  • Hyde, Charles K. (2003). Riding the Roller Coaster: History of the Chrysler Corporation. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3091-6.
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