Historic train station to house tech facility
The former Michigan Central Station has reopened as a research and technology building following a major restoration .
Located in Detroit, the station closed in 1988 and was under threat in 2009, when Detroit City Council voted to have it knocked down.
The building was once used by thousands of rail commuters a day. It has now become a new technology hub, Michigan Central, developed by Ford Motor Company and designed by US architectural firm, Quinn Evans.
Richard Hess, principal architect at Quinn Evans said: “Understanding and preserving the station’s historic significance and symbolism to the city of Detroit was an essential component of the building’s restoration.”
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The original beaux-arts building, was bought by Ford in 2018, includes an 18-storey tower which sits above the street level main terminal and the basement levels.
The design team behind the 1914 building included New York hotel architects Whitney Warren and Charles D. Wetmore, working in collaboration with Charles A. Reed and Allen Stem, the designers of New York City’s Grand Central Station.
The tower made it the tallest station building in the world at the time it formally opened in 1914.
Ford’s plans for the development of the hub include new construction for industrial uses, restaurants and retail space, as well as event and exhibition areas.
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