Michigan Central Station (MCS), also known as Michigan Central Depot, was the main train station for passenger rail travel in Detroit, Michigan. It was built for the Michigan Central Railroad and replaced an earlier station in downtown Detroit, which had been closed after a major fire on December 26, 1913. This fire forced the unfinished new station to open earlier than planned. The station was officially opened on January 4, 1914, and remained in use until January 6, 1988, when train services were moved to a new location. The building included a train depot and a 230-foot (70 m) office tower with thirteen floors above two lower levels. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest train station in the world. The building’s design followed the Beaux-Arts style, created by architects who had previously worked on Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

The station is located in the Corktown district of Detroit, near the Ambassador Bridge, about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) southwest of downtown. It is behind Roosevelt Park, with the Roosevelt Warehouse next to it on the east, connected by a tunnel. Roosevelt Park acts as a main entrance to the station. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Photos of the building’s poor condition became a well-known example of "ruins photography." Its run-down state represented Detroit’s decline from a once-thriving city. In 2011, groups began discussing plans to restore the building. In May 2018, Ford Motor Company bought the station for $90 million to develop it into a mixed-use facility as part of Ford’s new Corktown campus. After years of major repairs costing over $740 million, the station reopened on June 6, 2024. A rail industry publication praised the restored station, calling it "…a stunning example of what can be accomplished with historical vision, ample financing, and advanced construction and restoration technology."

History

In 1913, the building began operating as Detroit's main passenger depot. This happened after the older Michigan Central Station burned down on December 26, 1913. The new building was owned and operated by the Michigan Central Railroad. It was part of a large project that included the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel under the Detroit River for freight and passengers. The former station's location on a spur line made it inconvenient for the large number of passengers it served. The new station placed passenger service on the main line.

In 1912, the growing use of automobiles was not a major concern, as shown by the building's design. Most passengers arrived at and left from Michigan Central Station using interurban trains or streetcars. The station was built away from downtown Detroit to encourage development near it. A planned project to connect the station to the Cultural Center via a wide boulevard was never completed. Despite this, the station remained active for many years. Trains from the New York Central Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the Canadian Pacific Railway operated from the station.

At the start of World War I, when rail travel in the United States was at its peak, more than 200 trains left the station each day. Lines stretched from the boarding gates to the main entrance. In the 1940s, more than 4,000 passengers used the station daily, and over 3,000 people worked in its office tower. Notable passengers included 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 Detroit station was the Fort Street Union Depot.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford began buying land near the station and made construction plans. However, the Great Depression and other problems stopped these plans. The original design did not include a large parking area. When interurban service ended less than two decades after the station opened, it became difficult for car owners to use the facility because of the lack of parking.

Major trains and destinations included:
• Baltimore & Ohio Ambassador to New York City (via Pittsburgh, PA, and Washington, D.C.)
• New York Central Canadian to Montreal and later Canadian-Niagara from Chicago
• Dominion-Overseas to Montreal
• Chicago Mercury to Chicago
• Cleveland Mercury to Cleveland
• Detroiter to New York City
• Empire State Express to New York City
• New York Special to New York City
• North Shore Limited (westbound only) to Chicago
• Northerner to Mackinaw City, Michigan
• Ohio Special to Cincinnati
• Queen City to Cincinnati
• Timberliner to Mackinaw City, Michigan
• Twilight Limited to Chicago
• Wolverine to New York City

Passenger numbers did not drop immediately. During World War II, the station was heavily used by military troops. After the war, more people owned cars and used trains less for travel. Service was reduced, and passenger traffic became so low that the New York Central tried to sell the facility in 1956 for $5 million, one-third of its original 1913 cost. Another sale attempt in 1963 failed. In 1967, maintenance costs became too high compared to the low passenger numbers. The restaurant, shops, and main entrance were closed, leaving only two ticket windows open.

By 1960, the New York Central ended direct service south to Toledo, handing that responsibility to the B&O. In 1963, the B&O moved its trains to the Fort Street Union Depot. The New York Central ended its northern service to Bay City in 1964. Pooled trains with Canadian Pacific were discontinued, and Canadian Pacific trains to Windsor ended in 1967. The New York Central stopped its named trains by the end of 1967. Remaining trains operated between major cities. The Penn Central, which took over from the New York Central in 1968, continued these operations.

Amtrak began operating the nation's passenger rail service in 1971. It reopened the main waiting room and entrance in 1975. A $1.25 million renovation project started in 1978. In 1984, the building was sold for a transportation center project that never happened. On January 6, 1988, the last Amtrak train left the station after owners decided to close it. Amtrak service continued at a nearby platform on Rose Street until a new Detroit station opened in 1994. In 1992, Detroit's Master Plan for the Southwest Sector identified the station as an attractive feature to be preserved and promoted.

Controlled Terminals Inc. bought the station in 1996. Its sister company, the Detroit International Bridge Co., owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge. Both companies are part of a group owned by Manuel Moroun, a businessman who died in 2012. In 2000, the train shed was demolished, and the tracks and platforms were converted into an intermodal freight facility called "Expressway," operated by Canadian Pacific Railway. This facility closed in 2004.

In 2004, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick proposed moving the Detroit Police Department headquarters to the station. The plan was canceled in 2005, and the city decided to renovate its existing headquarters instead. In 2006, the station was proposed as a Trade Processing Center due to its location near the Ambassador Bridge. The city labeled the building a "Priority Cultural Site" in 2006 but passed a resolution in 2009 to demolish it. Seven days later, Detroit resident Stanley Christmas sued the city to stop the demolition, citing the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

In 2008, the station owners said they wanted to renovate the building. The estimated cost was $80 million, but finding the right use for the building was seen as a bigger challenge than financing. Moroun suggested turning the station into a convention center and casino, which would have cost $1.2 billion, including $300 million for restoration. In 2010, State Senator Cameron S. Brown and Mickey Bashfield, a government relations official for the building owner, discussed the station's future.

Architecture

The building is designed in the Beaux-Arts Classical style of architecture. It was created by the firms Warren & Wetmore and Reed and Stem, who also designed New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. Michigan Central Station was built at the same time as Grand Central and is considered a similar design to it. Both stations were intended to be main stops on Vanderbilt’s rail lines. Both originally included plans for office towers (though Grand Central’s tower was never built). The two buildings share the same design details and were opened six months apart. When it was built, the 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m²) building cost $15 million. Roosevelt Park was created to form a grand entrance to the station, which was completed around 1920.

The building has two main sections: the train station and an 18-story office tower. The roof reaches a height of 230 feet (70 m). The original plan for the tower included space for a hotel, offices for the railroad company, or both. However, the tower was later used only for office space by the Michigan Central Railroad and its future owners. The top floors were never fully furnished and did not serve any purpose.

The main waiting room on the first floor was inspired by an ancient Roman bathhouse, with marble walls and vaulted ceilings. The building also included a large hall with Doric columns, which housed the ticket office and shops. Beyond the shops was the concourse, featuring brick walls and a large copper skylight. Passengers walked down a ramp to a tunnel, where stairs and elevators led to the platforms. Under the station’s shed were ten passenger platforms: one side platform and five island platforms along ten paired tracks. One track was used by the Railway Express Agency (REA) mail service at the southern end of the shed. Outside the shed were seven additional freight tracks. Below the tracks and building was a large area for handling baggage, mail, and offices.

After Ford purchased the building in 2018, some people offered to return items and architectural features that were removed from the station after it closed in 1988. The most notable item was the main station clock. The building’s renovation for Ford is being designed by Quinn Evans Architects of Detroit.

In popular culture

The station has appeared in many movies and shows:

• In September 2002, close-up shots and aerial views of the station were included in the film Naqoyqatsi.
• The 2005 movie Four Brothers begins with the main character driving along the front of Michigan Central Station toward Michigan Avenue.
• In January 2005, the station was used as a setting in the film The Island, directed by Michael Bay.
• Michigan Central Station was used for scenes in the movie Transformers (also directed by Michael Bay) in October 2006.
• The building appeared in some of rapper Eminem’s work, including his music video for the song "Beautiful," where it is shown early in the video.
• A scene from the ABC crime drama Detroit 1-8-7 was filmed inside the station, and the building appeared in the background of other episodes.
• The station’s lobby was important in the final scenes of the 2012 documentary Detropia.
• It was also used for a key fight scene in the 2016 movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
• The station’s exterior was shown in the Arrow episode titled "Doppelgänger."
• The station is also included in the video game Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition.
• It is mentioned in the novel Influx by Daniel Suarez.
• The station’s exterior was used to represent a jail in the 2016 movie Abattoir, which houses people who have committed serious crimes.