Michigan Central Station: The story of its rise, fall and... (2024)

Image source, Getty Images

Standing at 18-stories tall and with all of its windows blown out, the gigantic Michigan Central Station has come to represent Detroit's rise to industrial greatness and long, painful fall into economic depression. "No other building exemplifies just how much the automobile gave to the city of Detroit - and how much it took away," writes Dan Austin in his book Lost Detroit: Stories Behind the Motor City's Majestic Ruins. Today it is one of Detroit's most prominent eyesores, and a barbed-wire fence has been erected to keep out the vandals and scrappers that plagued the building in the decades since it closed.

Image source, Burton Historical Collection

For many people seeking a new life and fortune in the region's booming manufacturing sector, these marble archways were amongst their first sights upon arriving from points east. The building opened in late 1913 and acted as a gateway to America's industrial heartland. "Looking south-east from main waiting room toward ticket lobby," reads text printed, external on the back of this photograph. "Huge arches that make up ceiling of waiting room are Guastavino type. They were formed by system developed by Rafael Guastavino, a Catalan engineer who modernized traditional tile vaulting. The arches are shell constructions of thin tile and strong mortar. Circa 1916,"

Image source, Burton Historical Collection

Signs advertising the various train services offered by the station - the Ambassador, the Detroiter, the Empire State Express, Canadian Pacific summer vacation - hung above people queuing to board trains in this undated photograph. For many travellers, these gates were the last barrier to cross before being whisked away on holiday. For many others, these wrought-iron fences were an important threshold between home and the battlefield. The need to transport soldiers during World War II brought an increase in ticket sales, which were needed after budgets for luxurious train travel were cut during the Great Depression, writes Michelle Kruz in Detroit and Rome: Building on the Past.

Image source, Burton Historical Collection

In this crooked photograph, cars wait to take dealers from the station to the Chalmers Motor Company sales convention in November 1915. The automobile industry is synonymous with Detroit, and brought the city tremendous wealth for the first half of the 20th Century. However, as the appeal of train travel gave way to the desire for the open road - largely behind the wheel of a car manufactured in this very city - the station began to see a long steady decline.

Image source, Burton Historical Collection

By the middle of the century, people in the Detroit area enjoyed a higher rate of home ownership and a higher median income than residents in any other major US city. But over the next few decades, the automotive industry began to collapse and drag the region down with it. At the station, the grand waiting room - seen above being used to store boxes - was closed for several years beginning in 1967 and the benches were sold for as little as $25 USD (£16.11), according to Mr Austin. The energy crisis of the 1970s and the economic recession in the 1980s only served to further weaken the automobile industry and send the local economy into a tailspin. Train 353, bound for Chicago, left the station at 11:30 a.m. on 5 January 1988 - marking the last voyage from the soon-abandoned building.

Image source, Rick Harris

For more than two decades since its closing, the Michigan Central Station was vulnerable to trespassers, scrappers and vandals. Almost all of the windows have been punched out and shattered. Ironically, the station's dereliction has caught the eye of several filmmakers, who have used it as a dilapidated backdrop for films like Transformers and 8 Mile.

Image source, Getty Images

As one of the most dramatic reminders of Detroit's collapse, Michigan Central Station raised eyebrows, external when, in 2013, a handful of seemingly-randomly selected windows - seen above - were replaced with no explanation given. Residents have been teased for years by developers and officials with plans and promises to renovate the building. At times they have been told that it would be turned into a casino or a trade centre, only to never see the ideas materialise.

Image source, Getty Images

Despite all the setbacks, new hope has been given to this behemoth station. In recent days, the wealthy and private Moroun Family, who own the station, announced plans to replace the windows. While the ultimate goal for the building is not publicly known, optimists believe the improvements could be a concrete step towards restoration of the building.

Michigan Central Station: The story of its rise, fall and... (2024)

FAQs

Why did Michigan Central Station close? ›

The Station at Michigan Central

But as travel patterns changed, the Station closed on January 6, 1988. For more than three decades, neglect and vandalism made the vacant structure an infamous symbol of Detroit's financial decline and disinvestment.

How much did it cost to renovate the Michigan Central Station? ›

The entire project is expected to cost $950 million (Ford has not revealed how much of that has been expended on the station renovation). Its first component opened last year, a former post office building designed by Albert Kahn and later used as the school district's book depository.

How much did Ford pay for Michigan Central Station? ›

The automaker paid $90 million for the ravaged Michigan Central Station in 2018, and will spend millions more to create a hub of businesses focused on transportation.

What is Michigan Central Station going to be used for? ›

Why are they reopening Michigan Central Station? Ford plans to use the depot as part of a "mobility tech campus." The company promised the space would be home to 5,000 jobs, from Ford technology teams to suppliers and startups.

Who renovated Michigan Central Station? ›

DETROIT, June 3, 2024 – Following an extensive six-year renovation by Ford Motor Company, Michigan Central Station will offer the public a first look at the interior restoration of its historic ground floor this week.

When did the last train leave Michigan Central Station? ›

On January 6, 1988, the last Amtrak train pulled away from the station after owners decided to close the facility. Amtrak service continued at a platform on Rose Street near the former station building until the new Detroit station opened several miles away in New Center in 1994.

What is the history of the Michigan Central Station? ›

Michigan Central Station, located in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, was the city's primary railway depot from 1913 to 1988. Prior to the new station's construction, the Michigan Central Railroad operated out of a depot located near the Detroit River and Third Street – about where Joe Louis Arena previously stood.

How much money would it take to rebuild Detroit? ›

The old adage, 'You have to spend money to save money” is front of mind in Detroit this weekend. Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr's plan to fix the city isn't just a cost-cutting program. He believes the city needs to spend money, too, and puts the price tag at $1.25 billion.

Is the city of Detroit rebuilding? ›

Imagine the skyline of Detroit, once a symbol of industrial might, now a canvas for modern innovation and urban revival. Cranes and construction crews are busy at work, crafting the future of the city.

Why did Ford leave Michigan? ›

Ford plans to build many of its new electric vehicle plants in Kentucky and Tennessee rather than Michigan, in part because of those states' lower energy costs. Industrial electricity costs are under 7 cents per KWH in both states compared to 8.31 cents in Michigan.

Who was the owner of the Michigan Central Railroad? ›

Michigan Central Railroad was a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad, which was owned by rail tycoon William Vanderbilt. For the new station and office building -- one fitting for the growing city it served -- the railroad turned to the architects Warren & Wetmore of New York and Reed & Stem of St.

Is Ford building a new plant in Michigan? ›

The company announced this project in June 2022 and later revised its plans with a new third crew at Michigan Assembly Plant, including some employees from the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. When complete, the two projects will have created or retained upwards of 5,000 Ford jobs in Michigan.

Is Detroit coming back? ›

But also like Baltimore, Motor City is in the midst of a major revival, with its up-and-coming restaurants, craft cocktail bars and breweries, and renowned arts-and-culture attractions landing the sprawling city on must-visit lists by major outlets like The New York Times.

Why was Michigan Central Station abandoned? ›

As the automobile's rise made train travel less desirable, Michigan Central couldn't sustain itself and it closed in 1988. Ford bought Michigan Central in 2018 to become part of the automaker's new Corktown hub for transportation and electric vehicle innovation.

Can you go inside Michigan Central Station? ›

People may visit the station from 5-9 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The building will be closed to tours on the other days of the week until September, when expanded public hours will be announced.

Why was the Great Central Railway closed? ›

In the 1960s Beeching cuts, Dr Beeching decided that the London to Northern England route was already well served by other lines, to which most of the traffic on the GCR could be diverted. Closure was seen as inevitable.

Is Michigan Central Station set to reopen on June 6, 2024? ›

Michigan Central Station reopens Thursday, June 6, 2024. Starting that day, for the first time in person, the public will get a chance to see inside the six-year renovation of the historic building, which sat abandoned for decades after the Corktown train depot's closing in 1988.

When did Ford buy Michigan Central Station? ›

For three decades the Michigan Central train station sat vacant in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, falling into deep decay. Then in 2018, Ford Motor Company purchased the station to begin transforming the iconic building and surrounding area into a campus for mobility and innovation.

What is Ford doing with the Detroit train station? ›

Ford Motor is turning an abandoned train station used for decades as an infamous symbol of Detroit's downfall and blight into a new technology campus for the automaker and mixed-use property for the city.

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