Michigan Central Station

A little background information:

The Michigan Central Station I visited was built to replace the Michigan Central Station pictured on the right. It was built in 1913 upon at least one premise that turned out to be false--that the growth of Detroit would spur skyrise development between downtown and the new station's relatively remote southwestern Detroit location. While others have argued that planners should have anticipated automobiles leading to dramatic reductions in passenger train travel, it was difficult to foresee the extreme actions the auto industry would take to gut Detroit of its streetcar and train transportation options. After all, train stations have survived in other American cities...

Anyhow, more on the history (and more photos) of the train station can be found at Forgotten Detroit. I'm more interested in its present presence...

A number of the building's finer architectural points as they remain today:















This underground baggage conveyor led up into the baggage claim area through the double doors. The water in this room was at least 3 feet deep. Lower levels of the station were completely submerged. We found an entrance that was mostly dry and used pipes and even a ladder to get through the few inches of water we encountered. Fog on the lens made for some spots.




Climbing the train station, looking below.


The elevators on some floors still featured thick marble.


Most of the floors were long and empty. The tower was never even close to fully occupied, something only conceivable in a booming early 20th century Detroit. The size of the tower became more real to me after walking the long, hollow corridors on each level.


Elevator shaft.

From the roof:

The smoke stack towers high over the station and has been redecorated top to bottom.




To the southwest: St. Anne's, the original French-Catholic church in Detroit, sits at the foot of the Ambassador Bridge.


To the east/northeast: venerable Tiger Stadium awaits its "historic dismantling." The old and new Cass Technical High Schools sit side by side in the upper left.


To the west: The Rouge is visible billowing smoke even on a cloudy day.


To the east: Downtown.


Next door: Abandoned Post Office then School Depository.

As I walked across the vast waiting room, I could hear my footsteps cascading above in the rounded ceiling. There's so much beauty in the station that time may never take away. Should a wrecking ball? Matty Moroun, most notorious for his stranglehold on the Ambassador Bridge, owns the vacant train station. Is he at all responsible for its current state? Should he be held accountable for the massive chunk of unused land he owns in the middle of an otherwise vibrant area of southwest Detroit? How should he be held accountable? Who would hold him accountable? I doubt the mayor of Detroit or U.S. congresswoman for the area would attempt that. They are the only two democrats Moroun has ever contributed money to.

I think it should be restored into a train station. I also think that we should fill in half of Detroit's highways with community gardens and public parks... What do you think?