Ford's Plans for Michigan Central Station

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SarahZ

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Now that we are certain Ford has purchased the historic building in Corktown, I thought it would be best to have a new thread rather than continue the once-speculative thread.

Here are Ford's plans, from a recent article in "The Detroit News":

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2018/06/17/how-ford-plans-resurrect-train-station/702723002/

I have stolen this "tl;dr" version from Reddit user bernieboy, as he created an excellent summary. He also updated his post with relevant info from "The Detroit Free Press":

  • 5000 employees would move into the Corktown campus; with 2500 from Ford, and 2500 partner employees from Lyft, Argo AI, and several other tech firms, entrepreneurs, and suppliers.
  • Ford expects to fund roughly 1/3 of the renovation through tax incentives.
  • Funding for the Corktown campus is being redirected from some of the $1B set aside for the Dearborn campus overhaul, but many plans will continue on that front as well.
  • Plans for the station lobby include a market space, coffee shops, restaurants, retail, and public gathering spaces - similar to reused stations in other cities. A hotel and residential space is still being considered.
  • Corktown and SW Detroit residents will provide some level of input on the public areas of the station.
  • Ford is talking to Bedrock, The Platform, and other developers about mixed-use projects throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.
  • 300,000 square feet of the depot concourse and other property development would be open to the public, with another 900,000 being Ford and partner office space.
  • The lots purchased along I-75 will become a public parking deck (called it)
Edit: from the Free Press article

  • Renovations would be fully complete in four years (2022).
  • Ford might lease out space to other firms, and has already been contacted by "a number of" startups and entrepreneurs.
  • San Francisco's ferry terminal, which serves a practical function as well as a recreational one, was Bill Ford's inspiration for the station.
  • Journalists from all over the world are expected at Tuesday's event.
  • By the time the station opens, Ford plans public autonomous shuttles along the Michigan Ave corridor.
  • Ford does plan some type of signage on the building, but hasn't decided on a position or style. They want it to be "tasteful".
  • Ford will host a community open house on Friday, June 22-Sunday, June 24, for a rare look inside Michigan Central Station before renovations.
 
Thanks for the link Sarah, that is going to make for some cool before and after photos!

I knew some folks who worked in that building when Conrail still had some offices there long after passenger service ceased sometime in the 90's I believe and it was pretty run down then already. Glad to see it is still standing and the new redevelopment plans. Hope Detroit extends the Q line streetcar there and to some other neighborhoods as well.
 
Great video, thanks for posting!

That building will look spectacular, when it is fully restored. It's not likely to be reused by Amtrak, but it would be nice to see the light rail extended there...and perhaps a small display of museum railroad cars outside...
 
It would appear that some preliminary work (piles of debris, an attempt at some new windows, maybe even some roof work above the entrance area) had been started at some point in the past. Anyone know the history regarding this work ... who was behind it, what the plans were, why it stopped?

I hope Ford, and the greater Detroit community, follow through on more ambitious plans.

Great drone work BTW.
 
Previous owner started installing windows a few years back when the city wanted to declare the building abandoned and tear it down.
 
That is worse than I thought. That is going to require massive amounts of money to rebuild. That is probably one of the first public looks into the upper floors in decades.
 
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It would appear that some preliminary work (piles of debris, an attempt at some new windows, maybe even some roof work above the entrance area) had been started at some point in the past. Anyone know the history regarding this work ... who was behind it, what the plans were, why it stopped?
In 2009, the Detroit city council approved a measure to knock the building down. They were then sued by a resident of Detroit, who used the National Historic Preservation Act as his platform.
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In early 2011, the owners decided they needed to do something to make the building more attractive to buyers, so they started removing asbestos, started work on the windows (finished in 2015), drained water from flooded areas, and started roof work. They also put up the barbed wire fence and added security patrols so vandals wouldn't break the windows.

The following year, they installed electricity. The lobby has been lit up at night ever since, and they sometimes light different windows. They've also had light projections on the building on occasion.

A freight elevator was installed in 2014-ish, which helped speed up the roof and window work.

The Detroit Homecoming event was held in the lobby in late 2017, the first public use of the station since Amtrak left.

I've been part of a "Michigan Central Station Preservation" group for years, and all of these occasional, somewhat quiet updates had us in a frenzy any time someone noticed something new. It all happened so silently and so slowly that it was almost like a dream.

When they started the windows, they only installed six or eight and then stopped for the longest time. We spent weeks/months trying to figure out what was going on. Why only eight windows? Who's doing the work? Did someone buy the building? Does this mean they won't knock it down?

Then, when the lobby lights came on... and now there's a light in a room on the fifth floor..? OMG.
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We were completely beside ourselves.
 
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Ford has tons of money and will probably get incentives for bringing this jewel back to life!
This article has a really good analysis and breakdown of how much it may cost. Ford is keeping mum about the tax incentives, but I imagine they're fairly massive considering they purchased a historic building within the city of Detroit.

In the past few years, many historic buildings have been saved from demolition and turned into beautiful hotels and apartment/condo buildings. It's nice to see Detroit start to turn the proverbial corner. There's still a LONG way to go, but it's not the same dystopian hellscape it was 30-40 years ago.
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I hadn't been downtown in a few years, so I was absolutely amazed at how different it looked while visiting a couple months ago.
 
Great news indeed. The core of Detroit (ie. Downtown, Midtown, Corktown, etc.) has seen a ton of investment & progress since the bankruptcy restructuring in 2013. This continues the trend since that time period.
 
Will the Michigan Central Station have anything to do with Amtrak or trains under Ford ownership at all?
There have been rumblings about a light rail connection, probably with the Q-Line, but nothing definite yet. There’s also talk (still rumors) of a rapid transit connection from DTW.

I don’t think there are plans to host Amtrak again - not at this point, anyway. They haven’t really commented one way or the other.

Short answer: maybe.
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I can't see them moving back into Michigan Central Station, unless they ever restore service to Windsor and beyond. Or possibly, to Toledo...
 
I can't see them moving back into Michigan Central Station, unless they ever restore service to Windsor and beyond. Or possibly, to Toledo...
My guess even for Toledo would be that it will be from Dearborn as an extension of a redirection of a Pontiac service, or a new service from Chicago. If that is the case then I don;t see anything coming to Michigan Central Station. Unless Michigan and Ohio decide to start a frequent Detroit - Toledo service of sorts, I don;t see Michigan Central Station getting revived for passenger rail. It is hard to believe that Windsor would take the trouble to build a new station just to have a train to Detroit.
 
More updates from the Freep:

https://www.freep.com/story/money/2018/06/21/ford-train-station-building-corktown-penthouses/721406002/

Bullet points of note:

  • Ford plans to preserve some of the train tracks behind the station, in case passenger trains come back in vogue.
  • Structural experts spent six months examining the 1913 train station and found it structurally sound.
  • Ford has received about two dozen calls from people considering returning lost or stolen objects from the train station.
  • Ford ... hasn't determined how much housing would go into the train station, along with anticipated offices and retail space. However, Dubensky [chairman and CEO of Ford Land] told reporters that train station penthouses are a possibility. "Wouldn't that be cool — a couple penthouse condos or lofts up there," Dubensky asked. "But we don't know exactly where the residential would be."
 
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More updates from the Freep:

https://www.freep.com/story/money/2018/06/21/ford-train-station-building-corktown-penthouses/721406002/

Bullet points of note:

  • Ford plans to preserve some of the train tracks behind the station, in case passenger trains come back in vogue.
  • Structural experts spent six months examining the 1913 train station and found it structurally sound.
  • Ford has received about two dozen calls from people considering returning lost or stolen objects from the train station.
  • Ford ... hasn't determined how much housing would go into the train station, along with anticipated offices and retail space. However, Dubensky [chairman and CEO of Ford Land] told reporters that train station penthouses are a possibility. "Wouldn't that be cool — a couple penthouse condos or lofts up there," Dubensky asked. "But we don't know exactly where the residential would be."
My suspicion is Ford knows that MCS is more valuable property as a transportation hub. So you leave open the possibility of commuter rail to Ann Arbor (via Dearborne) stopping at MCS. There's also been talk of extending the Q line from downtown to MCS. Both of these actions would increase the value of Ford's return on investment by creating a center for activity. Now I don't know if Amtrak would get on board with the backup move needed for their service, but it's possible they could be convinced if the other two rail items get built.
 
My suspicion is Ford knows that MCS is more valuable property as a transportation hub. So you leave open the possibility of commuter rail to Ann Arbor (via Dearborne) stopping at MCS. There's also been talk of extending the Q line from downtown to MCS. Both of these actions would increase the value of Ford's return on investment by creating a center for activity. Now I don't know if Amtrak would get on board with the backup move needed for their service, but it's possible they could be convinced if the other two rail items get built.
I may be in the minority with the hope that Amtrak remains serving its station in New Center. That location and line are convenient for stops in Royal Oak, Troy, and Pontiac, which benefits the Wolverine timetable. Also, QLine was designed in no small part to connect the station with points south on Woodward. That is proudly advertised by the streetcar operator, as is the sort-of connection with DPM at Grand Circus Park. If Amtrak were to move to MCS, sure—the customer experience would improve dramatically, and perhaps it would generate enough willpower to make a second streetcar down Michigan Ave—but QLine would have a hard time justifying its New Center stop and lose some of its appeal.MCS as a commuter rail hub, however—that’s something I’d support.
 
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My suspicion is Ford knows that MCS is more valuable property as a transportation hub. So you leave open the possibility of commuter rail to Ann Arbor (via Dearborne) stopping at MCS. There's also been talk of extending the Q line from downtown to MCS. Both of these actions would increase the value of Ford's return on investment by creating a center for activity. Now I don't know if Amtrak would get on board with the backup move needed for their service, but it's possible they could be convinced if the other two rail items get built.
I may be in the minority with the hope that Amtrak remains serving its station in New Center. That location and line are convenient for stops in Royal Oak, Troy, and Pontiac, which benefits the Wolverine timetable. Also, QLine was designed in no small part to connect the station with points south on Woodward. That is proudly advertised by the streetcar operator, as is the sort-of connection with DPM at Grand Circus Park. If Amtrak were to move to MCS, sure—the customer experience would improve dramatically, and perhaps it would generate enough willpower to make a second streetcar down Michigan Ave—but QLine would have a hard time justifying its New Center stop and lose some of its appeal.MCS as a commuter rail hub, however—that’s something I’d support.
The real question is who wins that debate? Real Estate interests (boost MCS value) or Transportation planners (New Center more convenient and no backup move)?
 
Today was the first day of the formerly-weekend-long* Open House. The line was so insane that one Reddit user (lostinLAdrone) took it upon himself to fly his drone instead. It resulted in one of the most beautiful shots I've seen:

https://imgur.com/a/FbB8rFs

(Once the page loads, click on the picture for a HUGE version.)

You can see the line snaking around in front of the station and then extending down Vernor Hwy. Also, if you look closely, you'll see he Photoshopped a train behind the station.
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Most people reported that they stood in line for about an hour before going in. They were checking RSVPs at the door and wait-listing people without reservations. Once inside, the self-guided tour takes about a half-hour.

I have an RSVP for Sunday. Hopefully, most people will have gone through at that point and it won't be so bad, but I'm prepared to wait. This will be the first time I've entered the station 1) legally and 2) during daylight.
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I will post pictures, of course.

* Ford stated over 20,000 people signed up for tours (not including the wait list), so they've extended the Open House through Monday. You can sign up here: https://fordmcsopenhouse.splashthat.com
 
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