Built in 1913, Michigan Central Station is one of Detroit's hallmarks. Rarely is there a collage of photos representing the city without the "train station" among them.
Most Detroiters love the train station. It is a large, majestic and shostly building that tells the story of another time. It is, in a way, the perfect symbol of Detroit, something once so beautiful that is now a shell of it's former glory.
Detroit is on the uprise though, the downtown area anyway, while the MCS is left to rot.
Most Detroiters love the train station. It is a large, majestic and shostly building that tells the story of another time. It is, in a way, the perfect symbol of Detroit, something once so beautiful that is now a shell of it's former glory.
Detroit is on the uprise though, the downtown area anyway, while the MCS is left to rot.
The station began being used December 26th, 1913 after the prior Michigan Central Station burned down. It was planned to be part of a larger project that included freight and passengers using the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel and the Detroit River.
The station was built on a main line, with was more convenient than the spur line that the previous station was built on.
The station was located away from downtown, though not too far, in an effort for it to be an anchor for more development.
In it's first few years, the station was booming in the peak of railway travel with more than two hundred trains leaving daily. In the 1940s, the station employed more than 3,000 people. It was used by actor Charlie Chaplin, inventor Thomas Edison, and President FDR and Harry S. Truman.
The station was built on a main line, with was more convenient than the spur line that the previous station was built on.
The station was located away from downtown, though not too far, in an effort for it to be an anchor for more development.
In it's first few years, the station was booming in the peak of railway travel with more than two hundred trains leaving daily. In the 1940s, the station employed more than 3,000 people. It was used by actor Charlie Chaplin, inventor Thomas Edison, and President FDR and Harry S. Truman.
 Michigan Central Station |  |
The plans of development were close to being realized when Henry Ford bought land near the MCS, but the Great Depression hit and construction was halted.
Interurban transportation began to die out in the '30s and the station suffered a blow as it had no large parking facility for automobiles. This was the beginning tug of the unravelling of the station's strings.
Interurban transportation began to die out in the '30s and the station suffered a blow as it had no large parking facility for automobiles. This was the beginning tug of the unravelling of the station's strings.
World War II gave the station more hope, as it was used heavily by the military. Unfortunately, the passenger rate was on a decline as the war concluded. Owners attempted to sell the station in 1956, for $5 million, one-third less than it's building cost. The building was placed on the selling block again in 1963, but both times persuaded no buyers.
In 1967, maintenance costs began to get too high. The restaurant, arcade shops, and main entrance were closed, along with much of the main waiting room This left only two ticket windows open.
Amtrak's monopoly of all passenger rail service, in 1971, brought a new dawn to the station, and a $12.5 million renovation began in 1978. Six years later, the building was sold for a transportation center project the never got on it's feet. On January 6, 1988, the last Amtrak train pulled out of the station's gates and the facility closed.
Controlled Terminals, Inc. purchased the station in 1996. The building has been in a state of limbo since then. In 2009, there were plans to demolish it, but they were prevented. The future of the building remains unknown.
In 1967, maintenance costs began to get too high. The restaurant, arcade shops, and main entrance were closed, along with much of the main waiting room This left only two ticket windows open.
Amtrak's monopoly of all passenger rail service, in 1971, brought a new dawn to the station, and a $12.5 million renovation began in 1978. Six years later, the building was sold for a transportation center project the never got on it's feet. On January 6, 1988, the last Amtrak train pulled out of the station's gates and the facility closed.
Controlled Terminals, Inc. purchased the station in 1996. The building has been in a state of limbo since then. In 2009, there were plans to demolish it, but they were prevented. The future of the building remains unknown.
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