General Motors Technical Center

The General Motors Technical Center is a complex of automotive research buildings in Warren that covers more than 710 acres and includes several dozen glass and brick structures. Designed by Eero Saarinen, the facility connects offices, testing bays, and laboratories through a network of roads and underground passages that run throughout the site.

Construction started in 1949 and concluded in 1956 when President Eisenhower led the opening ceremony. Saarinen designed the complex as an expression of modern corporate architecture after World War II, combining technical function with formal clarity.

The sprawling campus integrates the architect's water towers into a generous layout where trees and walkways extend between working buildings. Employees use the public areas that are designed between the structures to function both as a research environment and as a shaped outdoor space.

The site is located outside the city center and best reached by car, with visits possible by prior arrangement. The sprawling layout requires time to drive through, as individual buildings are spread across the entire grounds.

The central lake on the grounds serves not only as a reservoir but also as a design element that connects the low buildings with the surrounding landscape. Saarinen selected the site so that each structure stands in direct relation to the water, allowing the entire complex to unfold around this center.

Location: Warren

Architects: Eero Saarinen

GPS coordinates: 42.51333,-83.03778

Latest update: December 20, 2025 12:31