Michigan Central Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michigan Central Station
Exterior view in 2016
Location	2405 West Vernor Highway Detroit, Michigan United States
Coordinates	42°19′43.69″N 083°04′39.83″W / 42.3288028°N 83.0777306°W / 42.3288028; -83.0777306
Owned by	Ford Motor Company
Platforms	10 island (historically) 4 (after renovation)
Other information
Status	Closed
Station code	Amtrak code: DET
History
Opened	January 4, 1914
Closed	January 6, 1988
Rebuilt	2022 (projected)
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Dearborn toward Chicago Twilight Limited Terminus Wolverine Terminus Niagara Rainbow Windsor toward New York (Grand Central) Dearborn toward Chicago Lake Cities Toledo Terminus Dearborn toward Jackson Michigan Executive Terminus Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Dearborn toward Chicago Michigan Central Railroad Main Line Windsor toward Buffalo Wyandotte toward Toledo Detroit Branch Terminus Woodward Avenue toward Mackinaw City Mackinaw City – Detroit Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station Toledo toward Cincinnati Toledo Division Terminus Preceding station Canadian Pacific Railway Following station Terminus Detroit– Montreal Windsor toward Montreal
Michigan Central Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	500,000 sq ft (46,000 m2)
Built	June 1912–December 1913
Architect	Reed and Stem, Warren and Wetmore
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.	75000969
Added to NRHP	April 16, 1975
Location
Michigan Central Station Location in Michigan

Michigan Central Station (also known as Michigan Central Depot or MCS) is a very old and important former train station in Detroit, Michigan. It was built for the Michigan Central Railroad and opened on January 4, 1914. This huge building replaced an older station that burned down.

The station was a busy place for many years, but it closed on January 6, 1988. It has a train area and a tall office tower with 13 floors. The building was designed in the Beaux-Arts style. The architects also worked on Grand Central Terminal in New York. When it was built, it was the tallest train station in the world!

Michigan Central Station is located in the Corktown area of Detroit. It's near the Ambassador Bridge, which connects the U.S. and Canada. The station is behind Roosevelt Park, which was designed to be a grand entrance. In 1975, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, meaning it's a very important historical site.

For many years after it closed, the building was empty and fell into disrepair. People often took pictures of its ruined state. But in May 2018, the Ford Motor Company bought the station. Ford plans to fix it up and turn it into a new center for their company. This will make it a key part of their new campus in Corktown.

History of Michigan Central Station

Building Detroit's Main Train Hub

Michigan Central Station became Detroit's main passenger train station in 1913. This happened after the old station burned down on December 26, 1913. The new station was owned by the Michigan Central Railroad. It was part of a big plan that included the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel under the Detroit River. This tunnel was for both cargo and passenger trains. The old station was on a side track, which was not good for many passengers. The new station was built on the main train line.

Postcard of the Michigan Central Station (c.1914)

When the station was designed in 1912, cars were not as popular as they are today. Most people arrived at the station by streetcar. The station was built a bit away from downtown Detroit. The idea was to encourage new buildings and businesses to grow in that direction. There was even a plan for a wide road to connect the station to the city's Cultural Center, but it was never built. Still, the station was very busy for many decades. Trains from the New York Central Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the Canadian Pacific Railway all used this station.

Peak Years of Train Travel

During World War I, train travel was at its busiest in the United States. More than 200 trains left Michigan Central Station every day! Long lines of people would stretch from the train gates to the main entrance. In the 1940s, over 4,000 passengers used the station daily. More than 3,000 people worked in its office tower. Many famous people arrived at the station, including Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Other notable visitors included actor Charlie Chaplin, inventor Thomas Edison, and artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford started buying land near the station. He had plans for new construction, but the Great Depression stopped these ideas. The station was not built with a large parking lot. When streetcar service stopped, the station became harder to reach for most people who drove cars.

Famous Train Routes

Many important trains used Michigan Central Station. Here are some of the major routes:

• Baltimore & Ohio trains:
  • Ambassador to New York City and Washington, D.C.
  • Shenandoah, also to New York City and Washington, D.C.
  • Cincinnatian, to Cincinnati
• New York Central Railroad trains:
  • Detroiter, to New York City
  • Empire State Express, to New York City
  • Mercury, connecting Chicago and Cleveland
  • Northerner, to Mackinaw City, Michigan
  • Twilight Limited, to Chicago
  • Wolverine, connecting Chicago and New York City

Decline and Closure

After World War II, fewer people used trains for travel. More families owned cars, and flying became popular. Train service at the station was reduced. By 1956, the New York Central Railroad tried to sell the building for much less than it cost to build. Another attempt to sell it in 1963 also failed. By 1967, it was too expensive to keep the station running for the small number of passengers. The restaurants, shops, and main entrance were closed. Only two ticket windows remained open.

Michigan Central Station in 1988

Amtrak took over passenger train service in the U.S. in 1971. They reopened the main waiting room in 1975 and started a renovation project. But in 1984, the building was sold for a transportation project that never happened. On January 6, 1988, the last Amtrak train left the station. The owners decided to close it for good. Amtrak service moved to a different location in Detroit in 1994.

Moroun Family Ownership

A company called Controlled Terminals Inc. bought the station in 1996. This company and others are owned by businessman Manuel Moroun. In 2000, they tore down the train shed. They turned the remaining tracks into a place for cargo trains, but this closed in 2004.

MCRR Terminal track diagram (1914)

In 2004, the mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, thought about moving the city's police headquarters to the station. But this plan was canceled. In 2006, there was a proposal to turn the station into a trade center. This was because it was close to the Ambassador Bridge. Even though the city called it a "Priority Cultural Site," the City Council voted to tear it down in 2009. However, a Detroit resident sued to stop the demolition, saying it was a historic building.

The station owners said in 2008 that they wanted to fix up the building. They thought it would cost $80 million. They even suggested turning it into a convention center or casino, which would have cost much more. In 2010, there were ideas to make it a state police headquarters or a center for trade inspections. None of these plans happened.

Before window re-installation (2010)

In 2011, the owners started some work on the building. They began removing asbestos and broken glass. They also drained the basement, which had been full of water. In 2012, electricity was turned back on, and lights lit up the main lobby at night. The owners also started replacing the roof and more than 1,000 windows. By December 2015, all the new windows were installed. By 2016, the Moroun family had spent $12 million on fixing up the building. In 2017, the station hosted its first public event since closing in 1988.

Ford Motor Company Takes Over

On March 20, 2018, news came out that the Ford Motor Company was talking about buying the station. On May 22, 2018, the building's ownership officially changed. The Moroun family confirmed on June 11, 2018, that Ford was the new owner. Ford also bought the Roosevelt Warehouse next door.

Ford plans to turn the station into a main center for its self-driving car development. It will be the most important building in Ford's new Corktown campus. The building will have Ford offices and offices for other companies that work with Ford. The first floor will be open to the public with restaurants and shops. There will also be homes on the top floors. Ford expects to finish the restoration and renovations by 2022.

On June 19, 2018, Ford held a big party for the community. Local rapper Big Sean performed, and the building was opened to the public for the first time since the 1980s. Ford plans to spend a lot of money to fix the station and the warehouse. They are also renovating their main headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford hopes to get help from the government with taxes and other support for this big project.

Ford also plans to keep four of the train tracks at the station. This is in case Amtrak wants to use the station again in the future. It could also be used for local commuter trains. There have been other train projects in the area, like upgrades for high-speed rail between Chicago and Detroit.

In December 2018, Ford started the first phase of fixing the building. This involved drying it out and making sure the main supports were strong. The second phase began in May 2019. This included fixing the stone walls, repairing the ceiling in the waiting room, and fixing the steel structure. Ford is even using 3-D scanning to recreate old architectural details that were lost. The restoration work is expected to be finished in 2022.

Architecture and Design

Floor plan

Michigan Central Station was designed in the Beaux-Arts Classical style. The architects were the firms of Warren and Wetmore and Reed and Stem. These same companies also designed New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Michigan Central was designed at the same time and is often called Grand Central's "twin." Both were meant to be very important stations for the Vanderbilt family's train lines. Both were designed with office towers, though Grand Central's tower was never built. They also have similar details and opened only six months apart.

This huge building cost $15 million to build. It covers about 500,000 square feet (46,000 square meters). Roosevelt Park was designed to be a grand entrance to the station.

Waiting Room, 2009

The building has two main parts: the train station itself and an 18-story office tower. The tower is 230 feet (70 meters) tall. The original plan for the tower included a hotel or offices for the train company. However, the tower was only used for offices by the Michigan Central Railroad. The top floors were never fully furnished or used.

The main waiting room on the first floor looked like an ancient Roman bathhouse. It had marble walls and high, arched ceilings. The building also had a large hall with Doric columns. This hall held the ticket office and shops. Beyond this area was the concourse, which had brick walls and a big copper skylight. From here, passengers would go down a ramp to a tunnel. From the tunnel, they could reach the train platforms using stairs and elevators.

Under the train shed, there were ten passenger platforms. These included one side platform and five island platforms, serving ten pairs of tracks. There was also a track for mail service. Outside the shed, there were seven more tracks for cargo trains. Below the tracks and the building was a large area for handling baggage and mail, along with more offices.

After Ford bought the building in 2018, many people came forward. They wanted to return items and architectural pieces that had been taken from the station after it closed in 1988. The most important item returned was the main station clock. The company designing the renovation for Ford is Quinn Evans Architects from Detroit.

See also

In Spanish: Michigan Central Station para niños