Kraemer Design Group was involved in the master planning and conceptual design for the site of the former J.L. Hudson department store in downtown Detroit. Approached by a private developer, KDG was given the challenge of transforming one of the most prominent and historically significant sites in the city into a mixed use development to fill in the void left in Detroit’s urban fabric by the demolition of the twenty-five-story flagship icon.  Comprised of two residential towers, a hotel tower, and an office tower, the proposed development would sit upon an existing four-story underground parking structure.  This massive site created a challenge for modern towers that would need to act independently while sharing an existing foundation and parking deck.  KDG had proposed a series of towers situated around a central and radiating feature restaurant and public plaza.  This small plaza would allow such a venue while creating a path from Detroit’s main street to the downtown library on Farmer Street (behind the site).  The modern glass and precast concrete structures would sit on a base of retail stores that mimic the historic proportions of the surrounding buildings while allowing new and dynamic architecture to be added to the city’s complex skyline