The Center for Innovation started construction late last year, more than four years after plans for the project were first made public.

It is being built on a four-acre chunk of land Cass and Grand River avenues and West Columbia and Elizabeth streets donated to the university by the Ilitch family. Separately, the university bought a 1.18-acre piece of land for $9.57 million from the Ilitches for a parking structure for the new building, which is expected to cost $250 million.

It is being funded by a $100 million earmark from the state, a $100 million donation from mega-developer and U-M alum Stephen Ross, and as-of-yet unidentified other sources.

The Center for Innovation is considered a sort of second anchor to the Ilitch family’s District Detroit development area, following the 2017 completion of Little Caesars Arena for the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons. A previous vision for the 45- to 50-block area unveiled in 2014 didn’t materialize as originally pitched. 

The Ilitches and Ross have proposed a massive series of new and redeveloped buildings totaling some $1.53 billion, but none of them have yet started construction more than a year after the originally planned start date for the first building.

Last week, Olympia declined to provide updates on when construction would start on a proposed 261-unit residential tower at 2205 Cass and an anticipated 14-story hotel south of Little Caesars Arena. A spokesperson said updates on those projects are expected later this quarter.  

In all, the Ilitches and Ross are proposing 1.2 million square feet of new office space, 695 residential units (nearly 140 of which would be considered affordable), 146,000 square feet of retail and 467 hotel rooms.

The state signed off on a $615 million-plus tax incentive package for the projects in April 2023.