A Rare Pair: Detroit and the G.O.P.

What do the Republican Party and Detroit have in common? "The tendency on the part of some people to write them off as dead," Michigan Governor William Milliken said to the Republican National Committee in Washington. But, in fact, Milliken contended, both party and city are reviving.

Preceded last fall by city officials' persistent and dramatic campaign extolling Detroit's convention facilities, the Republican Governor's pitch proved persuasive. Last week the G.O.P. committee voted, 95 to 52, to hold its July 1980 national convention in Detroit, despite the sniping of a few Southerners who opposed meeting in a Northern city that is heavily black and Democratic. Mississippi G.O.P. Committeeman Clarke Reed commented sarcastically that he was the only white Mississippian ever to visit Detroit, "and I don't want to be the only white man from Mississippi who has been to Detroit twice." Mayor To less Coleman biased Young, who Southern is black, Republicans, tartly Young replied, said, "He can save his railroad fare." To less biased Souther Republicans, Young said, "You all come up here."

To Young and other Detroiters, their city's selection as the site of the convention is an important bench mark, one that could signify Detroit's rebirth after decades of decay. Just three years ago, few people ventured at night into downtown Detroit because of the city's crime rate, one of the highest in the nation. Now much has changed. The crime rate fell more sharply in Detroit during 1977 than it did in any other major U.S. city, and continued to decrease in 1978. One reason for the drop seems to be Young's assigning many police to foot patrols.

At the same time, downtown Detroit is being transformed by a building boom. The biggest addition to the skyline is the much heralded Renaissance Center, completed at a cost of $350 million in 1977 by a consortium led by Henry Ford II. A cluster of five glass towers next to the Detroit River, "Ren Cen" consists of a 73-story hotel, the world's tallest, and four 39-story office buildings. More than 90% of the office space has been rented, and the complex's shopping arcade, which includes elegant boutiques such as Courreges, Ungaro and Cartier, has brought a fresh touch of class to Detroit.

Ren Cen's profits have been so enticing that New York City's Rockefeller Center Inc., intends to join other developers in building two office towers near by at a total cost of $70 million. The 20,000-seat Joe Louis sports and convention arena, also on the river bank, is near completion. Luxury apartments are scheduled to be built on an adjacent 35-acre plot, and some 70 large construction projects are being developed for the rest of the downtown area. Indeed, downtown apartments are in such demand that they have become scarce and rents are rising.

Beyond uplifting urban renewal, Detroit offered the Republicans 17,400 seats in Cobo Hall, which is just three blocks from Ren Cen and its towering Plaza Hotel, with a revolving rooftop bar and a 240-seat nightclub. The hotel will serve as the party's convention headquarters. City officials assured Republicans that more than 16,000 hotel beds will be available, although only some 3,000 will be in downtown Detroit. Many will be across the river in Windsor, Ontario, and others 40 miles away in Ann Arbor and even in dormitories at the University of Michigan.

Detroit residents celebrated last week as wildly as when Michigan beats Ohio State. But the city's leaders were not content with just landing the Republican Convention. Declared Mayor Young: "We're not through yet. Now we'll convince the Democrats to bring their 1980 convention here too." That will take some even fancier selling. The Democratic National Committee, which will make its choice this summer, listens to Jimmy Carter, and the President is said to be whistling Dixie these days.

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