Michigan Central Station

Michigan Central Station (MCS, also known as Michigan Central Depot) is the historic former main 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,^[1] the Beaux-Arts style architecture was designed by architects who had previously worked on Grand Central Terminal in New York City.^[2]

The building is in the Corktown district of Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge, approximately 3⁄4 mi (1.2 km) 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.^[3] Its derelict state became symbolic of Detroit's decline from a once-prosperous city.^[4]

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.^[5][6] After years of extensive exterior and interior renovation, exceeding $740 million,^[7] 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."^[8]