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A special look inside General Motors' new global headquarters at Hudson's Detroit

General Motors is back on Woodward Avenue. The world headquarters has relocated to Hudson's Detroit, the historic site of the city's former J.L. Hudson Department Store.

On Monday, GM employees will move into their new headquarters.

The automaker's first headquarters in 1911 was located off Woodward Avenue. In its second home in 1923, GM relocated to Midtown Detroit off West Grand Boulevard, where it remained for many years.

The automaker then moved to its third home at the city's Renaissance Center in 1996.

Now, in the company's fourth transition, GM's newest world headquarters sits at Hudson's Detroit, the company's return to Woodward Avenue.

"It was a mid-century modern era that we just really lean in to," said GM Industrial Design Executive Director Crystal Windham.

Windham says details of the building were drawn from inspiration by architect Eero Saarinen, who designed the Global Tech Center in Warren, Michigan.

A teacup-designed desk on the first floor of Hudson's Detroit gives a nod to the Saarinen campus.

"The team had the opportunity to influence and give a more modern approach to the teacup design. We have a lot of elements from Eero Saarinen that we're building upon in a fresh, new way," Windham stated.

The building also features an event space open to the public called "Entrance One" located on its main floor lobby. The name pays homage to the original J.L. Hudson's store employee entrance.

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A General Motors sign in front of its new headquarters on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.

On the fifth floor is the atrium, where GM's deep ties with artist and Detroit native Harry Bertoia are on display with a dramatic steel sculpture.

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A steel sculpture inside General Motors' headquarters in Detroit, Michigan.

"It's this wonderful, bronze wall, kind of glittery and now it hangs here," said Windham.

"You have this mix of our heritage and innovation, which really grounds us to our past but also shows us that we have a really great future," GM Vice President of Infrastructure & Corporate Citizenship Dave Massaron stated.

The warm tones, natural woods, metals and stones are showcased on each level.

"On the eleventh floor, this is our executive floor. We do occupy the top four levels of the building," said Windham.

Hidden gems of GM's history are scattered like wallpaper, highlighting more than 49,000 granted patents since the company was founded in 1911.

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Wallpaper showing drawings from engineers at General Motors' headquarters in Detroit, Michigan.

Those special "Easter eggs," as GM calls them, are even on the shelves of the company's key leaders, including top boss Mary Barra.

Down the hall is the automaker's largest conference room with bronzed concept cars, like the Buick Y Job and Corvette, clung to the walls, with a lounge capturing views of the Motor City.

"We have a view of Comerica Park," Windham stated.

The attention to detail doesn't stop there. GM's vehicles also have an influence on music culture. Themed wallpaper is displayed in honor of thousands of songs that reference the company's cars.

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A wall at General Motors' headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, featuring the names of songs that reference the company's cars, along with the names of the artists who sing them.

There is also a unique, artistic three-dimensional sound wave displayed that spotlights the sound GM's electric vehicles create.

"This building has a storied history. [It] reinforces and creates the culture of what we want to be as GM," Massaron stated.

A space driving the future of General Motors forward. 

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