FACT CHECK: Did General Motors Sell The Renaissance Center?

A post shared on Facebook claims General Motors (GM) sold the Renaissance Center in Detroit and no longer has any ownership of its global headquarters.

Verdict: Misleading

While the company recently sold the land under two of the Renaissance Center’s seven towers, GM still owns four of the towers.

Fact Check:

The Renaissance Center is made up of seven buildings clustered together, according to the Detroit Historical Society. It was obtained by GM in 1996 to be the site of the company’s headquarters. The offices of other companies, as well as restaurants, stores and a Marriott hotel, can also be found in the complex, according to the center’s website.

The post shared on Facebook claims that GM has since sold the complex. “BREAKING NEWS: General Motors has sold the Ren Center,” reads the post, which also includes an image of two of the building’s towers. “They now have no operational or ownership stake in their own World HQ.” (RELATED: Does This Image Show An ‘Electric Car Cemetery’ In France?)

The post, however, is misleading. While GM did sell the land under the Renaissance Center’s 500 Tower and 600 Tower in October, according to Crain’s Detroit Business, there is no evidence the company has left the center entirely. Check Your Fact could not find a single credible media report online of GM forfeiting ownership of the entire Renaissance Center. No such sale is mentioned in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings or in the Wayne County Register of Deeds records.

“Please know that this is a rumor,” said GM spokesperson Maria Raynal in an email to Check Your Fact. “GM has not sold the Renaissance Center and still owns Towers 100-400. In October, we did sell the land beneath towers 500-600 (we hadn’t owned those two towers for two decades).”

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