When the Michigan Central Station was constructed in 1913, passenger rail reflected Detroit’s booming role in the industrial revolution, with historical records indicating that the structure was the tallest station of its time. Decades later in the 1980s, as the city’s train travel slowed and car ownership became ubiquitous, the station shuttered—but its abandoned remains still loomed as a reminder of the Motor City’s abrupt economic decline.
During its heyday, the station held “over 4,000 daily visitors,” says Richard Hess, principal architect at the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based, architectural design preservation firm Quinn Evans. Now, a $740-million renovation project helmed by Ford Motor Co. aims to bring visitors back to the area by making the Central Station the centerpiece of a 30-acre mobility innovation district.