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The once-blighted, monolithic Michigan Central train station was for decades a symbol of Detroit’s decline. It now has new life following a massive six-year, multimillion-dollar renovation to create a hub for mobility projects in the rebirth of the Motor City.
The windowless, hulking, scavenger-ravaged structure that ominously shadowed the city’s Corktown neighborhood now is home to Ford Motor Company and the centerpiece of a sprawling 30-acre (12-hectare) mobility innovation district.
The building’s first tenant, Google’s Code Next Detroit computer science education program, was expected to move in by late June. Grand opening ceremonies included an outdoor concert on June 6, with tours for the public that started on June 7.
“It really represented kind of the best physical symbol of that decay,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said. “And here we are in a completely beautiful, breathtaking facility like Detroit was in the ‘20s. But here we are almost 100 years later.”
The restoration effort is part of the automaker’s more than $900 million project to create a place where new transportation and mobility ideas are nurtured and developed.
The train station’s history reflects the city’s fortunes during its heyday as the world’s car capital and later misfortunes as thousands of auto workers and other residents fled Detroit for life in the suburbs.
The depot opened in late 1913. But as traveling by train gave way to commuter air travel and as more Americans chose to use the nation’s interstates, the numbers of people coming through Michigan Central steadily dropped. The last train pulled out in 1988 and for years after the building fell into disrepair, neglect, and abandonment. It became a destination for the curious and urban adventurers. Other buildings in Detroit suffered the same or a similar fate, but due to Michigan Central’s size, it became a symbol of the city’s decline.
Redevelopment by its former owner never materialized. Then, in 2018, Ford announced it was buying the 18-story building and adjacent structures as part of its plans for a more than 1 million-square-foot campus focusing on autonomous vehicles.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.