View source for Michigan Central Station

{{Short description|Former railroad station in Detroit, Michigan}}
{{About|the Michigan Central and New York Central railroad station|the railroad|Michigan Central Railroad|other stations serving the Michigan Central|Michigan Central Railroad Depot (disambiguation){{!}}Michigan Central Railroad Depot}}
{{Redirect|Michigan station|the Detroit People Mover station|Michigan Avenue station|the proposed rapid transit station in Chicago|Michigan station (CTA)}}
{{for|the current Amtrak station serving Detroit|Detroit station}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Michigan Central Station
| style = Amtrak
| style2 = Amtrak old
| image = MichiganCentral2024.jpg
| image_caption = Exterior view in 2024
| alt = Exterior view of Michigan Central Station in 2024
| address = 2405 West Vernor Highway<br />[[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]
| country = [[United States]]
| coordinates = {{coord|42|19|43.69|N|083|04|39.83|W|display=inline,title}}
| map_type = Michigan
| owned = [[Ford Motor Company]]
| platforms = 10 island (historically)
| tracks = 
| status = Open
| code = [[List of Amtrak station codes|Amtrak code]]: DET
| opened = {{start date and age|January 4, 1914}}
| closed = January 6, 1988
| rebuilt = 2024
| other_services_header = Former services
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations|system1=Amtrak
|line1=Twilight Limited|left1=Dearborn
|line2=Wolverine|left2=Dearborn
|line3=Niagara Rainbow|right3=Windsor
|line4=Lake Cities (1980–1995)|left4=Dearborn|right4=Toledo
|line5=Michigan Executive|left5=Dearborn|system6=Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
|line6=Toledo Division|left6=Monroe
|system7=Canadian Pacific Railway
|line7=Detroit-Montreal|right7=Windsor
|system8=Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
|line8=Main Line|right8=Delray|note-mid8=before 1920s
|system9=New York Central Railroad
|line9=Michigan Central|left9=Dearborn|right9=Windsor
|line12=Detroit Branch|right12=Delray
|line11=Mackinaw City-Detroit|left11=Woodward Avenue}}
| nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Michigan Central Station
| built = June 1912–December 1913
| area = {{cvt|500000|sqft|m2}}
| architect = [[Reed and Stem]],<br />[[Warren and Wetmore]]
| architecture = [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] 
| added = April 16, 1975
| refnum = 75000969 
| website = {{url|https://michigancentral.com/|michigancentral.com}}
}}
| embedded = {{Infobox mapframe
| stroke-colour = #C60C30
| stroke-width = 3
| marker = rail
| marker-colour = #009D58
| zoom = 15
}}
}}

'''Michigan Central Station''' ('''MCS''', also known as '''Michigan Central Depot''') is the historic former main [[Inter-city rail#United States|intercity]] passenger rail station in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. Built for the [[Michigan Central Railroad]], it replaced the original depot in downtown Detroit, which had been shuttered after a major fire on December 26, 1913, forcing the still unfinished station into early service. Formally dedicated on January 4, 1914, the station remained open for business until January 6, 1988, when [[Amtrak]] service was relocated. The station building consisted of a train depot and a 230-foot (70 m) office tower with thirteen stories above two mezzanine levels. The tallest rail station in the world at the time of its construction,<ref name="Kavanaugh">{{cite book |title=Detroit's Michigan Central Station (Images of America) |last=Kavanaugh |first=Kelli B. |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7385-1881-7}}</ref> the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] style architecture was designed by architects who had previously worked on [[Grand Central Terminal]] in [[New York City]].<ref name="BBC Marcus">{{cite web |last1=Marcus |first1=Jonathan |title=Michigan Central and the rebirth of Detroit |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/KnxBMVGAcn/michigan_central_detroit |website=BBC News |access-date=July 16, 2019}}</ref>

The building is in the [[Corktown, Detroit|Corktown]] district of Detroit near the [[Ambassador Bridge]], approximately {{cvt|3/4|mi}} southwest of downtown Detroit. It is located behind Roosevelt Park, and the [[Roosevelt Warehouse]] is adjacent to the east, with a tunnel connection to the MCS. The city's Roosevelt Park serves as a grand entryway to the station. It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1975.

Images of the building's deterioration remain a premier example of [[ruins photography]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Leary |first=John Patrick |date=January 15, 2011 |title=Detroitism |url=https://www.guernicamag.com/features/leary_1_15_11/ |access-date=February 20, 2024 |quote="The station is the Eiffel Tower of ruin photography... as shown by the hobbyist and professional photographers who descend upon it on every sunny day." |journal=Guernica}}</ref> Its derelict state became symbolic of Detroit's decline from a once-prosperous city.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marcus |first1=Jonathan |title=Michigan Central and the rebirth of Detroit |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/KnxBMVGAcn/michigan_central_detroit |website=BBC News |access-date=20 June 2024 |date=11 July 2019}}</ref>

Various parties started negotiating renovation plans in 2011, and in May 2018, [[Ford Motor Company]] purchased the building for $90 million for redevelopment into a mixed use facility as cornerstone of the company's new Corktown campus.<ref>{{cite journal| title=Ford buys historic Detroit train depot to house advanced technology groups| url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/11/ford-buys-historic-detroit-train-depot-to-house-advanced-automotive-technology-groups/| last=Burns| first=Matt| date=June 11, 2018| journal=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Pinho | first=Kirk | title=Ford paid $90 million for Michigan Central Station | date=September 24, 2018 | url=https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/ford-paid-90-million-michigan-central-station | work=crainsdetroit.com }}</ref> After years of extensive exterior and interior renovation, exceeding $740 million,<ref name=REOPEN>{{cite web |title=Michigan Central Station to reopen June 6 |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/michigan-central-station-to-reopen-june-6/|website=Trains magazine |publisher=Kalmbach Media |access-date=February 20, 2024 |date=February 20, 2024}}</ref> the station reopened on June 6, 2024. The restored station was hailed by a rail industry publication as "...a stunning example of what can be accomplished with historical vision, ample financing, and advanced construction and restoration technology."<ref name=KEEFE>{{cite web |title=Michigan Central Station opens its doors | last=Keefe| first=Kevin P. |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/michigan-central-station-opens-its-doors/|website=Trains magazine |publisher=Kalmbach Media |access-date=June 7, 2024 |date=June 7, 2024}}</ref>

==History==
===As an active station===
The building began operating as Detroit's main passenger depot in 1913 after the older Michigan Central Station burned on December 26, 1913. It was owned and operated by [[Michigan Central Railroad]] and was planned as part of a large project that included the [[Michigan Central Railway Tunnel]] below the [[Detroit River]] for freight and passengers. The former station's location on a [[spur line]] was inconvenient for the high volume of passengers it served. The new station placed passenger service on the main line.

[[File:POSTCARD New Michigan Central Station circa 1915.jpg|thumb|left|Postcard of the Michigan Central Station ({{circa|1914}})]]
The growing trend toward increased automobile use was not a large concern in 1912, as is evident in the design of the building. Most passengers would arrive at and leave from Michigan Central Station by [[interurban streetcar|interurban service]] or [[streetcar]], due to the station's distance from downtown Detroit. The station had been placed away from downtown in order to stimulate related development that came in its direction.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} An ambitious project to connect the station to the [[Cultural Center Historic District (Detroit)|Cultural Center]] via a wide boulevard was never realized.<ref name="aia">{{cite book |title=AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture |last1=Hill |first1=Eric J. |last2=Gallagher |first2=John |publisher=Wayne State University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8143-3120-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aiadetroitameric0000hill/page/220 220] |name-list-style=amp |url=https://archive.org/details/aiadetroitameric0000hill/page/220 }}</ref> Nonetheless, the station remained active for several decades. Trains of the [[New York Central Railroad]] (the company that had acquired the Michigan Central), the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] and the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] operated from the station.
[[File:Michigan-Central-Station-filmstrip.jpg|alt=View of Michigan Central Station in the 1920s|thumb|Michigan Central Station in the 1920s from the filmstrip DETROIT, S.V.E. series Important Cities of the U.S.]]
At the beginning of [[World War I]], the peak of rail travel in the United States, more than 200 trains left the station each day and lines would stretch from the boarding gates to the main entrance. In the 1940s, more than 4,000 passengers a day used the station and more than 3,000 people worked in its office tower. Among notable passengers arriving at MCS were Presidents [[Herbert Hoover]], [[Harry S. Truman]] and [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], actor [[Charlie Chaplin]], inventor [[Thomas Edison]] and artists [[Frida Kahlo]] and [[Diego Rivera]]. The other major station of Detroit was the [[Fort Street Union Depot]].

In the 1920s [[Henry Ford]] began to buy land near the station and made construction plans, but the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]] and other circumstances squelched this and many other development efforts.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} The original design had not provided a large parking facility, so when the interurban service was discontinued less than two decades after MCS opened, it was effectively isolated from the large majority of the population who drove cars and needed parking to use the facility.

===Named trains===
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}
Major trains and destinations included:
*[[Baltimore & Ohio]]
**''[[Ambassador (B&O train)|Ambassador]]'' to [[New York City]] ([[Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal|Jersey City CNJ terminal]]) via [[Pittsburgh, PA]] and [[Washington, D.C.]]
**''[[Shenandoah (B&O train)|Shenandoah]]'', route as above
**''[[Cincinnatian]]'', to [[Cincinnati]] via Toledo and Dayton
**''Great Lakes Limited'', to [[Louisville]] via Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati
*[[New York Central]]
**''[[Canadian (NYC train)|Canadian]],'' to [[Montreal]] and later, ''Canadian-Niagara'' from [[Chicago]] in the west, to [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] and [[Toronto]] in the east (with [[Canadian Pacific]] carrying from Detroit to Toronto)
**''Dominion-Overseas,'' to Montreal
**''[[Mercury (train)|Chicago Mercury]]'', to Chicago
**''[[Mercury (train)|Cleveland Mercury]]'', to [[Cleveland]] 
**''Detroiter'', to [[New York City]]
**''[[Empire State Express]]'', to New York City<ref name=bbc/>
**''[[Mercury (train)|Mercury]]'', Chicago to the west, [[Cleveland]] to the east
**''New York Special,'' Chicago to the west, to New York City to the east, via Southwestern Ontario
**''North Shore Limited'' (westbound only), to Chicago to the west, from Toronto (pooled with Canadian Pacific's ''Chicago Express'') and New York City in the east
**''Northerner'', to [[Mackinaw City, Michigan]] via [[Bay City, Michigan]]
**''Ohio Special'' (northbound: ''Michigan Special''), to Cincinnati via Toledo and Dayton
**''Queen City'', to Cincinnati via Toledo and Dayton
**''Timberliner'', to Mackinaw City, Michigan via Bay City, Michigan
**''[[Twilight Limited]]'', to Chicago
**''[[Wolverine (NYC train)|Wolverine]]'', Chicago to New York City via Southwestern Ontario

===Decline and abandonment===
[[File:Interior of Michigan Central Station, August 1980.jpg|left|thumb|The interior of Michigan Central Station, August 1980.]]
Passenger volume did not decrease immediately. During [[World War II]], the station was used heavily by military troops.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news| title=Michigan Central and the rebirth of Detroit| first=Jonathan| last=Marcus| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/KnxBMVGAcn/michigan_central_detroit| work=[[BBC News]]| access-date=July 19, 2019}}</ref> After the war, with a growth in automobile ownership people used trains less frequently for vacation or other travel. Service was reduced and passenger traffic became so low that the New York Central attempted to sell the facility in 1956 for {{USD|5 million}}, one-third of its original 1913 building cost. Another attempted sale in 1963 failed for lack of buyers. In 1967, maintenance costs were seen as too high relative to the decreasing passenger volume. The restaurant, arcade shops, and main entrance were closed, along with much of the main waiting room. This left only two ticket windows to serve passengers and visitors, who used the same parking-lot entrance as railroad employees working in the building.

Meanwhile, service to various destinations was curtailed. By 1960 the New York Central ended its direct service south to Toledo, on its own timetable yielding that responsibility to the B&O.<ref>New York Central timetable, April 1960, Table 15</ref> In 1963 the B&O moved its trains over to the Fort Street Union Depot. The New York Central ended the last of its trains bound north for Bay City in 1964.<ref>New York Central timetable, April 1964</ref> The pooled New York Central/Central Pacific trains were discontinued and the Canadian Pacific trains to Windsor ended in 1967; and the New York Central ended its named trains by the close of 1967. Any remaining New York Central trains were segmented operations between major cities.<ref>New York Central timetable, November 1967</ref><ref>New York Central timetable, December 1967</ref> The trains run by the NYC's successor in 1968, the [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]] continued the segmented operations at the station.[[File:Michigan Central Station 1988.agr.jpg|thumb|left|Michigan Central Station 1988]][[Amtrak]] assumed operation of the nation's passenger rail service in 1971, reopening the main waiting room and entrance in 1975. It started a $1.25 million renovation project in 1978. Six years later, the building was sold for a transportation center project that never materialized. On January 6, 1988, the last Amtrak train pulled away from the station after owners decided to close the facility.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/business/detroit-ford-train-station.html| title=Detroit's Revival Is Anchored in Its Train Station| last=McConnon| first=Aili| date=January 21, 2020| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| access-date=January 22, 2020| language=en-US| issn=0362-4331| url-access=subscription}}</ref> Amtrak service continued at a platform on Rose Street near the former station building until the new [[Detroit (Amtrak station)|Detroit station]] opened several miles away in [[New Center, Detroit|New Center]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19940501n&item=0021 |title=National Timetable Spring/Summer 1994 |date=May 1, 1994 |publisher=Amtrak |access-date=November 5, 2011}}</ref> In July 1992, the Detroit Master Plan of Policies for the southwest sector's urban design identified the station as an attractive or interesting feature to be recognized, enhanced and promoted.<ref name="master plan">{{cite web |url=http://www.detroitmi.gov/Portals/0/docs/planning/planning/MPlan/current_mplan/text/Article%20309%20-%20Southwest%20Sector.pdf |title=Southwest Sector Policies, Article 309, POLICY 309-7 |date=July 1002 |website=City of Detroit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001195732/http://www.detroitmi.gov/Portals/0/docs/planning/planning/MPlan/current_mplan/text/Article%20309%20-%20Southwest%20Sector.pdf |archive-date=October 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 5, 2011}}</ref>

===Moroun ownership===
Controlled Terminals Inc. acquired the station in 1996. Its sister company, the Detroit International Bridge Co., owns the nearby [[Ambassador Bridge]] and both are part of a group of transportation-related companies which were owned by late businessman [[Manuel Moroun]], Chairman and CEO of CenTra Inc.<ref name="Forbes">{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/1115/134.html |title=The Troll Under the Bridge |last1=Fitch |first1=Stephanie |date=November 15, 2004 |journal=[[Forbes]] |access-date=May 5, 2011 |first2=Joann |last2=Muller |name-list-style=amp}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.corpmagazine.com/Departments/CoverStories/tabid/54/itemid/701/Default.aspx |title=The Man Behind the Bridge – Matty Moroun Talks about Detroit, Business and Being Sentimental |first=S. |last=Voyles |date=May–June 2009 |work=Corp! |access-date=May 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006015136/http://www.corpmagazine.com/Departments/CoverStories/tabid/54/itemid/701/Default.aspx |archive-date=October 6, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The company demolished the train shed in 2000, and converted the remaining tracks and platforms into an [[Intermodal freight transport|intermodal freight facility]], named "Expressway" and operated by [[Canadian Pacific Railway]]. This facility was closed in June 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_07-5493_TerminalLocs_182923_7.pdf |title=Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal Summary |website=State of Michigan |access-date=February 12, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Michigan Central StationDetroit Track Diagram, 1914.jpg|thumb|upright=2|MCRR Terminal track diagram (1914)]]

In 2004, Detroit mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] announced that the city was pursuing options to relocate its [[Detroit Police Department]] headquarters and possibly consolidate other law enforcement offices to MCS. However, in mid-2005, the city canceled the plan and chose to renovate its existing headquarters.<ref name="Mullen" /> In 2006 it was proposed that the station be redeveloped into a Trade Processing Center adapting the station as a customs and international trade processing center due to its proximity to the [[Ambassador Bridge]].<ref name="Mullen">{{cite news |url=http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=5221 |title=On Track |last=Mullen |first=Ann |date=August 6, 2006 |newspaper=[[Metro Times]] |location=Detroit |access-date=July 29, 2008}}</ref> Although the City of Detroit considered the building a "Priority Cultural Site" in 2006, the City Council on April 7, 2009, passed a resolution to demolish the structure.<ref name="plan">{{cite web |url=http://www.detroitmi.gov/Portals/0/docs/planning/planning/nonmotor/Nonmotorized_Urban_Transportation_Master_Plan.pdf |title=Non-motorized Urban Transportation Master Plan |date=June 2006 |website=City of Detroit |page=20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001200114/http://www.detroitmi.gov/Portals/0/docs/planning/planning/nonmotor/Nonmotorized_Urban_Transportation_Master_Plan.pdf |archive-date=October 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 5, 2011}}</ref><ref name="demolish">{{cite news |url=http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19120317/detail.html |title=City Council Votes To Demolish Depot |date=April 7, 2009 |access-date=May 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610020059/http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19120317/detail.html |archive-date=June 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |work=[[WDIV-TV|WDIV]] News}}</ref> Seven days later, Detroit resident Stanley Christmas sued the city of Detroit to stop the demolition effort, citing the [[National Historic Preservation Act of 1966]].<ref name="lawsuit">{{cite news |url=http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19130672/detail.html |title=Lawsuit Filed In Train Depot's Future |date=April 8, 2009 |access-date=May 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116212648/http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19130672/detail.html |archive-date=January 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |work=WDIV News}}</ref>

In 2008, the station owners said that their goal was to renovate the decaying building. The estimated cost of renovations was $80 million, but the owners viewed finding the right use as a greater problem than financing.<ref>{{cite news | last=Patton | first=Naomi | title=How 2 cities revived old train stations | date=November 29, 2009 | url=https://www.freep.com/article/20091129/NEWS01/911290415/1319/How-2-cities-revived-train-stations | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202091042/https://www.freep.com/article/20091129/NEWS01/911290415/1319/How-2-cities-revived-train-stations | archive-date=December 2, 2009 | url-status= | work=freep.com }}</ref><ref name="Aguilar">{{cite news |url=http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/BIZ/804080348 |title=Michigan Central Depot owners say 'Roll 'em! |last=Aguilar |first=Louis |date=April 8, 2008 |work=The Detroit News |access-date=July 29, 2008}}{{dead link|date=January 2025}}</ref> Moroun proposed making the station into a convention center and casino.<ref name="Forbes" /> Such a project would have cost $1.2 billion, including $300 million to restore the station. Dan Stamper, president of Detroit International Bridge, noted that the station should have been used as one of the city's casinos.<ref name="Aguilar" />{{dead link|date=January 2025}} In 2010, State Senator [[Cameron S. Brown]] and Mickey Bashfield, a government relations official for the building owner CenTra Inc., suggested that the station could become the Detroit headquarters of the [[Michigan State Police]], include some [[United States Department of Homeland Security]] offices, and serve as a center for trade inspections.<ref name="trade">{{cite web |url=http://www.modeldmedia.com/inthenews/mcs030910.aspx |title=''New York Times'' asks: What's to be done with Michigan Central Station? |date=March 9, 2010 |website=Model D}}</ref> The development never came to fruition.

[[File:Michigan Central Train Station Exterior 2010.jpg|left|thumb|Before window re-installation (2010)]]

On March 25, 2011, in an effort to push forward a potential sale and redevelopment, Dan Stamper, spokesperson for Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun, announced plans to work with the City of Detroit on funding replacement of the tower's roof, and installing new windows on the structure. Stamper told ''[[The Detroit News]]'': "It would be much easier to help a developer to come up with a package to use the depot if some improvements were made."<ref name="spruce">{{cite news |url=http://detnews.com/article/20110325/METRO01/103250394/1410/METRO01/Decaying-Central-Depot-to-get-spruce-up |title=Decaying Central Depot to get spruce-up |last=Greenwood |first=Tom |date=March 25, 2011 |newspaper=The Detroit News |access-date=May 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Detroit mayor's office confirms preliminary fix-up talks with Michigan Central Station owner | date=March 25, 2011 | url=https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2011/03/detroit_mayors_office_confirms.html | work=mlive.com }}</ref> In June 2011, work began on partial asbestos abatement on the first floor; other work conducted included interior demolition work, removal of broken glass from first floor windows, and removal of water.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/08/moroun_family_making_progress.html |title=Moroun family making progress on Michigan Central Station rehabilitation |date=August 25, 2011 |newspaper=MLive |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> In June 2012, electricity was restored to the interior. Lights then illuminated the main lobby.

On May 5, 2011, the Detroit International Bridge Company announced it engaged the Ann Arbor firm of Quinn Evans on behalf of the Moroun family that owned the building to oversee restoration of the roof and windows of the structure. Bridge Company owner Moroun stated, "We hope this is just the beginning of a renaissance for the depot."<ref name="freep">{{cite news |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20110505/BUSINESS06/110505028/Bridge-Company-moves-ahead-Michigan-Central-Depot-restoration |title=Bridge Company moves ahead with Michigan Central Depot restoration |last=Gallagher |first=John |date=May 5, 2011 |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |access-date=May 5, 2011}}</ref> The once flooded basement was largely drained, with about {{convert|4| in|cm}} of water at its highest still remaining in a sub-basement of the building.

[[File:Michigan Central Station, Detroit (2013).jpg|thumb|Michigan Central Station exterior in 2013.]]

On June 10, 2014, it was reported that the owners of Michigan Central Station were moving forward with about $676,000 in rehab work, and had received permits to install a new 9,000-pound capacity freight elevator, which will allow for the smooth installation of new windows and roof work.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2014/06/historic_detroit_permits_pulle.html |title=Permits pulled for $676,000 in work on Michigan Central Station |last=Muller |first=David |date=June 10, 2014 |access-date=June 29, 2014 |newspaper=Mlive}}</ref> In late 2014 work to install the elevator began.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2014/12/service_elevator_to_be_install.html |title=Service elevator to be installed in Michigan Central Station by early 2015 |last=Thibodeau |first=Ian |date=December 22, 2014 |newspaper=MLive}}</ref>

In February 2015, the owners announced that they would replace more than 1,000 windows above the first level. In late April the city announced a land swap deal with the Bridge Company to transfer a 3-acre strip of Riverside Park near the Ambassador Bridge for 4.8 acres of adjacent property owned by the Bridge Company. As part of that agreement, the city would receive up to $5 million for park improvements, and the Bridge Company agreed to replace the windows in the train station.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/04/29/michigan-central-station-riverside-park-plans/26563283/ |title=Riverside Park, depot to get face-lifts in land swap |last=Guillen |first=Joe |date=April 29, 2015 |newspaper=Detroit Free Press}}</ref> In July the Detroit City Council approved the land transfer.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2015/07/28/detroit-riverside-park-deal/30786379/ |title=Detroit council approves Riverside Park deal |last=Aguilar |first=Louis |date=July 28, 2015 |newspaper=The Detroit News}}</ref> By December 2015, all of the new windows were installed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2015/08/13/train-detroit-moroun-depot-michigan-central-bridge/31633393/ |title=Train depot progress report: About 60% new windows |last=Gallagher |first=John |date=August 13, 2015 |work=Detroit Free Press}}</ref><ref name="Windows">{{cite news |url=http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2016/02/windows_at_michigan_central_st.html |title=Windows at Michigan Central Station completed on time and budget |last=Thibodeau |first=Ian |date=February 4, 2016 |newspaper=M Live |access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref>

By August 2016 the Moroun family had spent 10 years and $12 million on electricity, windows, and the elevator shaft, to revitalize the building. Matthew Moroun considered putting part of his family's operations in the 18-story Corktown building. In September 2017 the "Detroit Homecoming" event was held in the station, the first legal event to occur there since the building's closure in 1988.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.metrotimes.com/the-scene/archives/2017/09/14/the-michigan-central-station-light-show-is-the-coolest-thing-youll-see-all-week |title=The Michigan Central Station light show is the coolest thing you'll see all week |last=Roskopp |first=Jack |date=September 14, 2017 |newspaper=Metro Times |location=Detroit |access-date=December 3, 2017 |archive-date=October 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021221103/https://www.metrotimes.com/the-scene/archives/2017/09/14/the-michigan-central-station-light-show-is-the-coolest-thing-youll-see-all-week |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Ford ownership===
[[File:Restored Michigan Central Station.jpg|thumb|The exterior of the restored Michigan Central Station in November 2023.]]
On March 20, 2018, ''[[The Detroit News]]'' published an article noting the [[Ford Motor Company]] was in talks to buy the structure.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2018/03/ruin-porn-no-ford-reportedly-talks-buy-michigan-central-depot/#more-1617648 |title=Ruin Porn No More? Ford Reportedly in Talks to Buy Michigan Central Depot |last=Schreiber |first=Ronnie |website=The Truth About Cars |date=March 20, 2018 |access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2018/03/19/ford-talks-tenant-michigan-central-station/33088971/ |title=Ford in talks to buy Michigan Central Depot |last1=Thibodeau |first1=Ian |last2=Aguilar |first2=Louis |date=March 19, 2018 |newspaper=The Detroit News |access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref> On May 22, 2018, ownership of the building was transferred from the [[Manuel Moroun|Moroun]]-owned MCS Crown Land Development Co. LLC to New Investment Properties I LLC. Ford's representatives neither confirmed nor denied if this ownership exchange was made by them.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Runyan |first1=Robin |title=Report: Michigan Central Station has a new owner |date=May 30, 2018 |url=https://detroit.curbed.com/2018/5/30/17409248/report-michigan-central-station-new-owner-ford-morouns |journal=Curbed Detroit |access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref>

The Moroun family confirmed on June 11, 2018, that Ford was the new owner of the building.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Livengood |first1=Chad |title=Moroun confirms Detroit train station sold to Ford: 'Blue Oval will adorn the building' |url=http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20180611/news/663281/moroun-confirms-detroit-train-station-sold-to-ford-blue-oval-will-adorn |newspaper=Crain's Detroit Business |date=June 11, 2018| access-date=March 27, 2019|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Ford purchased the station along with the [[Roosevelt Warehouse]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2018/06/11/moroun-detroit-train-station-ford/689841002/ |title=It's official: Morouns sell Detroit train station to Ford |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |last1=Reindl |first1=JC| last2=Gallagher| first2=John| date=June 11, 2018| access-date=March 27, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Ford planned to turn the building into a hub for its [[autonomous vehicle]] development and deployment, and as an anchor for the company's [[Corktown, Detroit|Corktown]] campus. The building would hold both Ford offices and offices of suppliers and partner companies. The first floor concourse would reopen to the public with restaurants and retail. Housing will also be created on the top floors. Restoration and renovations were then anticipated to be completed by 2022.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20180617/news/663776/fords-future-train-station-to-be-part-of-new-transportation-model| title=Ford's future: Train station to be part of new transportation model| last=Livengood| first=Chad| date=June 17, 2018| newspaper=Crain's Detroit Business| access-date=March 27, 2019|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2018/06/19/housing-detroit-train-station/715922002/| title=Ford says it plans to put housing in Detroit train station| newspaper=Detroit Free Press| last=Reindl| first=JC| date=June 19, 2018| access-date=March 27, 2019| language=en}}</ref>

On June 19, 2018, Ford held a community celebration, in which local rapper [[Big Sean]] performed, and the building was opened to the public for the first time since its closure in the 1980s. According to local Detroit media outlets, Ford planned to renovate the station, the warehouse next door, and complete construction on the rest of its campus within four years, and is part of the company's $1 billion capital improvements project, which also included the creation of a development on the West side of Dearborn, Michigan, as well as a renovation of [[Ford World Headquarters|the company's main headquarters in Dearborn]]. As part of that $1 billion, Ford Land was seeking at least $250 million in tax and other incentives, and claimed that the project would not be financially feasible without the support of incentives.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2018/08/15/michigan-central-station-corktown-cost-740-million/994867002/| title=Ford says it will spend $740M to bring Detroit train station project to life| newspaper=Detroit Free Press| access-date=March 27, 2019| date=August 15, 2018| first=Cindy| last=Burton| language=en}}</ref>

In December 2018 Ford began Phase I of the building restoration. The work involved drying out the building and reinforcement of structural columns and archways.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://detroit.curbed.com/2018/12/4/18125723/michigan-central-station-renovations-construction-winterization |title=Michigan Central Station renovations start with winterization|last=Runyan |first=Robin |date=December 4, 2018 |website=Curbed Detroit |access-date=September 23, 2019}}</ref> Phase II began in May 2019 and consisted of masonry restoration of the tower and concourse, retiling of the ceiling of the waiting room, and repair of the structural steel.<ref>{{cite web |title=FORD CORKTOWN PROJECTS & MICHIGAN CENTRAL STATION, Community Benefits Update Meeting, December 10, 2019 |url=https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/2019-12/Ford-Corktown%20and%20Michigan%20Central%20Station%202019%20Annual%20Meeting_12%2010%2019.pdf |website=City of Detroit |access-date=June 12, 2020}}</ref> 3-D scanning technology was used to recreate architectural details lost to exposure and vandalism.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2020/11/ford-using-new-technology-to-help-restoration-of-old-train-station/ |title=Ford Using New Technology to Help Restoration of Old Train Station |last=Szczesny |first=Joseph |date=November 6, 2020|website=The Detroit Bureau |access-date=November 5, 2021}}</ref> Restoration work on the building's masonry facade began in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ainsworth |first1=Amber |title=Last capital stone installed on Michigan Central Station façade; roof restoration is next |url=https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/last-capital-stone-installed-on-michigan-central-station-facade-roof-restoration-is-next |access-date=November 5, 2021 |work=FOX2 Detroit |date=October 12, 2021}}</ref> Work was supposed to be completed in 2022 but was delayed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan]].<ref name="Roth k928">{{cite web |last=Roth |first=Andrew |date=June 6, 2024 |title=Michigan Central Station reopens in its 'most pristine state ever' |url=https://michiganadvance.com/2024/06/06/michigan-central-station-reopens-in-its-most-pristine-state-ever/ |access-date=June 19, 2024 |website=Michigan Advance}}</ref> The station reopened to the public on June 6, 2024.<ref name=KEEFE /><ref name="Roth k928" /> As part of its grand reopening, tickets for a free concert featuring Detroit performers were made available and sold out within five minutes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/michigan-central-tour-tickets-now-111927250.html |title=Michigan Central tour tickets now available; concert tickets sold out within minutes |last=Ainsworth |first=Amber |date=May 22, 2024 |website=Yahoo News |access-date=May 30, 2024 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Much of the passenger train infrastructure was demolished either after the 1988 cession of Amtrak service or during the renovation. As of 2024 the former [[trainshed]] area was being developed into a public park. In late 2023 Amtrak and [[VIA Rail|VIA Rail Canada]] were studying the feasibility of connecting one Chicago-Detroit train to a Windsor-Toronto round trip.<ref name=Toronto>{{cite web |last1=Johnston |first1=Bob |title=Amtrak-VIA proposal for through Chicago-Toronto service revealed (updated) |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/amtrak-via-proposal-for-through-chicago-toronto-service-revealed/ |website=Trains.com |publisher=Firecrown Media |access-date=May 28, 2025 |date=February 2, 2024}}</ref> However the track arrangement at the current Amtrak [[Detroit station]] would require a time consuming and cumbersome backup move. Moving the connection to Michigan Central would simplify this operation. While there is space near the existing [[Canadian Pacific Kansas City|CPKC]] main line for a platform, the renovations no longer allow access from the rear of Michigan Central. A separate Amtrak building would be needed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnston |first1=Bob |title=Are trains in Michigan Central's future? |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/are-trains-in-michigan-centrals-future/ |website=Trains.com |publisher=Kalmbach Media |access-date=May 28, 2025 |date=June 8, 2024}}</ref> Operating two stations in Detroit would add confusion and expense.<ref name=Toronto /> In June 2024 VIA Rail CEO Mario Péloquin stated that funding was in place and planning was proceeding to start service within two years but he did not specify how the connection would be managed in Detroit.<ref>{{cite news |title=Possible train link between Detroit, Windsor in next 'year or 2:' Via Rail CEO |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-via-rail-fleet-us-connection-1.7249572 |access-date=May 28, 2025|work=CBC News |publisher=CBC-Radio Canada |date=June 28, 2024}}</ref>

In June 2025 Ford announced that NoMad, a luxury brand within the [[Hilton Worldwide|Hilton]] chain, will build 180 units (including 30 suites) on the 14th through 18th floors.<ref name="Reindl2025"/><ref>{{cite web | last=Kelly | first=Dane | title=New luxury hotel coming to Michigan Central Station in 2027 | website=WDIV | date=June 2, 2025 | url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/06/02/new-luxury-hotel-coming-to-michigan-central-station-in-2027/ | access-date=June 5, 2025}}</ref> The ground floor would also include a bar, lounge, and restaurant for the hotel, while the third floor would be converted to a "wellness" area.<ref name="Reindl2025">{{cite web | last=Reindl | first=JC | title=Hotel operator NoMad chosen for Michigan Central Station in Detroit | website=Detroit Free Press | date=June 2, 2025 | url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2025/06/02/michigan-central-station-detroit-nomad-hotels/83947831007/ | access-date=June 5, 2025}}</ref> The hotel is anticipated to open in 2027.<ref>{{cite web |title=NoMad, a Hilton luxury brand, to open 180-room facility in 2027 |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/michigan-central-station-to-add-hotel/ |website=Trains.com |publisher=Firecrown Media |access-date=3 June 2025 |date=2 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Pinho | first=Kirk | title=Michigan Central Station to get one of Hilton's newest luxury hotels in 2027 | website=Crain&#039;s Detroit Business | date=June 2, 2025 | url=https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/michigan-central-station-get-nomad-hilton-hotel-2027 | access-date=June 5, 2025}}</ref>

==Architecture==
[[File:Michigan Central Station Detroit floor plan.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Floor plan]]
The building is of the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts Classical]] style of architecture, designed by the [[Warren and Wetmore|Warren & Wetmore]] and [[Reed and Stem]] firms who also designed [[New York City]]'s [[Grand Central Terminal]].<ref name="aia" /><ref name="sharoff">{{cite book |title=American City: Detroit Architecture, 1845-2005 |last=Sharoff |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_quVubxm6EMC&q=michigan+central| publisher=Wayne State University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0814332702 |author-link=Robert Sharoff |page=28}}</ref> Michigan Central was designed at the same time, and is seen as a spiritual twin to Grand Central in New York, as both were meant as flagship stations on Vanderbilt's rail lines, both were designed to have office towers in their original design concepts (though Grand Central's tower was never built), both have the same detailing, and were opened six months apart. The price tag for this {{convert|500000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} building was $15 million when it was built. Roosevelt Park creates a grand entryway for the station, which was fully realized around 1920.

[[File:Michigan Central Train Station Interior - 26 June 2009.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Waiting room, 2009]]
The building is composed of two distinct parts: the train station and the 18-story office tower. The roof height is {{convert|230|ft|m}}. The original plan for the tower included a hotel, offices for the rail company, or a combination of both. The tower was used only for office space by the Michigan Central Railroad and subsequent owners of the building. The tower was never completely used; the top floors were never completely furnished, and served no function.

The main waiting room on the main floor was modeled after an [[Ancient Rome|ancient Roman]] [[public bathing|bathhouse]], with walls of marble and vaulted ceilings.<ref name="aia" /> The building also housed a large hall adorned with [[Column#Doric order|Doric columns]] that housed the ticket office and [[arcade (architecture)|arcade]] shops. Beyond the arcade was the concourse, which had brick walls and a large copper skylight. From here, passengers would walk down a ramp to a tunnel from which the platforms could be accessed by stairs and elevators. Under the shed there were ten passenger platforms consisting of one [[side platform]] and five [[island platforms]] along ten paired tracks. In addition, one track served the [[Railway Express Agency]] (REA) mail service at the southern end of the shed. Immediately outside the shed were seven additional freight tracks.<ref name="Passenger">{{cite book |title=Passenger Terminal and Trains |last=John A. |first=Droege |year=1916 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SdwNAAAAYAAJ&q=detroit |publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. |location=New York City |page=82 |access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref> Below the tracks and building was a large area for baggage and mail handling and offices.

After the purchase of the building by Ford in 2018, several individuals came forward looking to return property and architectural features that were stripped and stolen from the station after its closing in 1988, the biggest item of note being the main station clock.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2018/06/27/ford-return-detroit-train-station-items/734256002/ |title=Ford receiving calls to return stolen Detroit train station property |last=Howard |first=Phoebe Wall |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |date=June 27, 2018 |access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref> The building renovation for Ford is being designed by Quinn Evans Architects of Detroit.<ref>{{cite press release| url=https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2018/11/08/ford-selects-restoration-design-and-construction-partners.html| title=Ford Selects Restoration Design and Construction Partners for Michigan Central Station| date=November 8, 2018| publisher=Ford Motor Company| access-date=July 18, 2019}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2024}}
The station has been featured in several films:<ref name="Aguilar" />{{dead link|date=January 2025}} 
*In September 2002, extensive closeups and fly-by shots were featured in the film ''[[Naqoyqatsi]]''. 
*The 2005 film ''[[Four Brothers (film)|Four Brothers]]'' opens with the main character driving his car along the front of Michigan Central Station toward Michigan Avenue. 
*In January 2005, it was used as a location set for the movie ''[[The Island (2005 film)|The Island]]'' (directed by [[Michael Bay]]). 
*MCS was used for scenes in the movie ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' (also directed by Bay) in October 2006.
*The building has been used in some of rapper [[Eminem]]'s work, including his music video for the song "[[Beautiful (Eminem song)|Beautiful]]", during the beginning of which the building features prominently. 
*A scene from the ABC crime drama ''[[Detroit 1-8-7]]'' was shot and set inside the station, and it often appeared in the background in other episodes. 
*The building's lobby was significant in the closing scenes of the 2012 documentary ''[[Detropia]]''.<ref>{{cite news |first=J.R. |last=Jones |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/detropia/Film?oid=7469729 |title=Detropia |newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]] |year=2012 |access-date=November 2, 2013}}</ref> 
*It was also used in a climactic fight scene in the 2016 movie ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]''. 
*Its exterior was used in the ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]'' episode titled "[[Doppelganger_(Arrow)|Doppelganger]]". 
*It is also featured in the video game ''[[Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition]]''.
*It is featured in the novel ''Influx'' by [[Daniel Suarez (author)|Daniel Suarez]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Suarez |first=Daniel |date=2014 |title=Influx |url=http://daniel-suarez.com/influxsynopsis.html |publisher=Penguin Random House |isbn=978-0-525-95318-0 |author-link=Daniel Suarez (author)}}</ref>
*It is also shown in the 2016 movie ''Abattoir'' as the exterior for a jail that houses the criminally insane.

==See also==
*[[Brush Street Station]]
*[[Ford Piquette Avenue Plant]]
*[[Fort Street Union Depot]]
*[[List of railway stations]]
{{Portal bar|National Register of Historic Places|Architecture|Trains|Michigan}}

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book| last=Kavanaugh| first=Kelli B.| title=Detroit's Michigan Central Station (Images of America)| year=2001| publisher=Arcadia Publishing| isbn=978-0-7385-1881-7| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ik6asYli0B8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Detroit%27s+Michigan+Central+Station&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdnZfxtrCLAxXBrYkEHdWPHsYQ6AF6BAgEEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false}}
*{{cite book| last1=Meyer| first1=Katherine Mattingly| author2=Martin C.P. McElroy with introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A.| title=Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition| year=1980| publisher=Wayne State University Press| isbn=978-0-8143-1651-1| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/detroitarchitect0000unse}}
*{{cite book| last=Sobocinski| first=Melanie Grunow| title=Detroit and Rome: building on the past| publisher=Regents of the University of Michigan| year=2005| isbn=978-0-9336-9109-4| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uu7pQ5RYkpwC&pg=PA1&dq=Detroit+and+Rome:+building+on+the+past&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiI2p2ev7CLAxXEC3kGHcaeBREQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714162656/http://www.talktothestation.com/ |date=July 14, 2014 |title=Talk to the Station}}
* [https://www.detroiturbex.com/content/downtown/mcs/index.html Detroiturbex — A collection of historical photographs of the station]

{{Amtrak Michigan stations}}
{{Architecture of metropolitan Detroit}}
{{Ford Motor Company}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Corktown, Detroit]]
[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Detroit]]
[[Category:Windsor Subdivision]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Detroit]]
[[Category:Ford Motor Company facilities]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Detroit]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1913]]
[[Category:Beaux-Arts architecture in Michigan]]
[[Category:Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan]]
[[Category:Former Amtrak stations in Michigan]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures under construction in the United States]]
[[Category:Reed and Stem buildings]]
[[Category:Warren and Wetmore buildings]]
[[Category:1913 establishments in Michigan]]
[[Category:Former Michigan Central Railroad stations|Detroit]]
[[Category:Repurposed railway stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Former New York Central Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stations|Detroit]]
[[Category:Canadian Pacific Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 1988]]