Michigan Central Station
Michigan Central Station (also known as Michigan Central Depot or MCS), built in 1913 for the Michigan Central Railroad, was Detroit, Michigan's passenger rail depot from its opening in 1913, when the previous Michigan Central Station burned, until the last Amtrak train pulled away from the station on January 6, 1988. The building, located in the Corktown district of Detroit near Tiger Stadium about two miles southwest of downtown Detroit, still stands today, though it remains unoccupied. Reports of restoration projects and plans have gone as far as the negotiation process, but none have come to fruition.
History
The unfinished building began operating as Detroit's main passenger depot in 1913 after the older Michigan Central Station burned on December 26, 1913. It was begun earlier as part of a much larger project that involved the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel below the Detroit River for freight and passengers. The old station was slated to be replaced by the new Michigan Central to place the passenger service on the main line. The old station had been located on a spur line, which was inconvenient for the volume of passenger service that was being served.
The growing trend toward increased automobile use was not a large concern in 1913, as is evidenced in the design of the building. Most passengers would arrive at and leave from Michigan Central Station by interurban service or streetcar and not as pedestrians due to the station's remote distance from downtown Detroit. The reason for the placement this far from downtown was a hope that the station would be an anchor for prosperity to follow. Initially, things were looking up as Henry Ford began to buy land near the station in the 1920s and plans were made, but the Great Depression and other circumstances squelched the development efforts. Further compounding MCS's future problems was the fact that no large parking facility was included in the original design of the facility. So when the interurban service was discontinued not even two decades after MCS opened and streetcar service following in 1938, MCS was effectively isolated from a large majority of the population.
However, even with fewer means to get to and from the station, passenger volume did not decrease immediately. During World War II, the station saw heavy military use, but once the war ended, passenger volume began to decline. Service was cut back and passenger traffic became so low that the owners of the station attempted to sell the facility in 1956 for $5 million, one-third of its original building cost in 1913. Another attempt to sell the building occurred in 1963, but again there were no buyers. In 1967, costs to maintain the large main waiting room were too high for the decreasing passenger volume and it, along with the park entrance, arcade shops, and restaurant was closed.
Things began to look better for the building when Amtrak took over the nation's passenger rail service in 1971. The main waiting room and entrance were reopened in 1975 and a $1.25 million renovation projects was begun in 1978. Only 6 years later, the building was sold for a transportation center project that never materialized. Then, on January 6, 1988, the last Amtrak train pulled away from the station after it was decided to close the facility.
The Building
Opened in 1913, the unfinished building is of the Beaux-Arts Classical style of architecture, designed by the Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stern firms who also designed New York City's Grand Central Terminal.[1] The price tag for this 500,000 square foot building was $15 million when it was built.
The building was composed of two distinct parts: the train station itself and the 15-story tower that rose above it. Speculation as to what the tower was originally designed for include a hotel, offices for the rail company, or a combination of both. In reality, the tower was only used for office space by the Michigan Central Railroad and subsequent owners of the building. The interiors of at least the top floor had never been completed and served no function.
The main waiting room on the main floor was modeled after an ancient Roman bathhouse with walls of marble. The building also housed a large hall adorned with Doric columns and contained the ticket office and arcade shops. Beyond the arcade was the concourse, which had brick walls and a large copper skylight. From here, passengers would walk down a ramp to the departing train platforms, 11 tracks in all. Below the tracks and building is a large area for baggage, mail, and other office building functions.
The building has since been stripped of most valuable items including brass fixtures. It has also been the victim of excessive vandalism.
The property has changed hands several times after the 1984 deal, once even selling for less than $80,000. It is now owned by Controlled Terminals Inc. Another transportation company, the Detroit International Bridge Co., owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge. Both companies are owned by the same businessman, M.J. Moroun.
The future
Rumors of renovation in the past have included several potential uses, though the most recent was in 2004 when Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick announced that Detroit was pursuing options to possibly relocate the Detroit Police Department's headquarters to the aging facility. However, in mid-2005, the deal was called off and MCS remains abandoned.
Renovation budgets have been estimated to require between $100 and $300 million to bring the building back to life, though many suspect the actual figure to be much higher due to the damage and vandalism.
Interesting notes
- In January 2005, the station was used as a location set for the movie The Island.
- In September 2002, extensive closeups and fly-by shots were featured in the movie Naqoyqatsi.
References
- ^ Detroit's Abandoned Train Station. seedeetroit.com (accessed April 20, 2006).
External links
- http://www.forgottendetroit.com/mcs/history.html - Forgotten Detroit MCS history and photos
- http://mc.net/~louisvw/depot/det-mc/det-mc.htm - Another history and photo site
- http://www.snweb.org/mcs.php - Plenty of abandoned and exploration photos