Michigan Central Station reopens after historic six-year transformation spearheaded by Ford

For three decades, Michigan Central Station sat vacant in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, falling into deep decay.
Then in 2018, Ford Motor Company purchased the station to begin transforming the iconic building and surrounding area into a campus for mobility and innovation.
After a six-year renovation spearheaded by Ford Motor Company, the station reopened to the public June 6, 2024.
One Detroit’s Will Glover and Chris Jordan toured the newly restored station to learn about its history and show how it has been transformed.
Watch "One Detroit" Thursday on Detroit PBS at 7:30 p.m. ET. Catch the daily conversations on our website at OneDetroitPBS.org, Facebook at / onedetroit , Twitter at / onedetroit_pbs and Instagram @One.Detroit.

[@chaunceygardener1385]

Beautiful! And you can count me as one tourist who will be drawn to Detroit to see this restored architectural masterpiece and spend both time and money while I'm in town.

[@stickynorth]

I am so glad to see another Detroit icon not only saved from ruin and disrepair but to see it revived and ALMOST restored to its full potential... Now it just needs actual train service to it... I.e. Amtrak should reoccupy it and Detroit should also extend the streetcar from downtown to it... Plus you know offer proper commuter rail service that generations of Michigan citizens have waited for...

[@doloresswann4600]

0 seconds ago
THANK YOU Bill Ford for saving this iconic MCRR Station. I'm 76, so I DO remember going into this Gem several yrs.ago with it's vast space and marble everywhere and activity everywhere. My cousin, Mike Freno and many other Viet Nam Vets returned home via this Grand station in 1968. My future husband, Don 'the Duck' Swann, did also. I was fortunate to attend the Halloween party that was given there (for nearby residents only) only because I was talking to the Detroit Fire Marshall on site there about this history and my personal connection to this Amazing bldg. ...and he let me IN to the Halloween party *(I'm not sure what yr. that was? -2021?) I was thrilled . I was able to still see the tracks still back behind the central Archway. I reminisced. My friend & I didn't have costumes. I just HAD to go see it inside . Thanks to that Det. Fire Marshall I Did . I just wish I could've been at the Grand Opening Concert last nite 6-6-2024... just to go inside to see it's return to Glory. I always knew it's twin was Grand Central RR Station in NY since they had the same Architect. NY GCRR was kept vibrant by Jacqueline Kennedy's $$... and now the Legacy of Henry Ford continues thanks to Bill Ford.... THANK YOU for returning this Gem to it's Glory for the next 100+ years.

[@Burgmannn]

It looks beautiful. Nice to see good news coming out of Detroit.

[@debrabeard-bader416]

I left Detroit in 1981. My advice for young kids getting started for the last 10 years has been - go to Detroit and grow with it.

[@pcatful]

Can it be a transit hub again? That’s what we need, Detroit. Fewer cars. More trains. At least more trams and buses.

[@janismcgowan9283]

Fabulous!! Definitely worth a visit!

[@elektrochava]

Never expected that to happen. Congrats Detroit

[@JeffMarraccini]

Thank you so much for the great coverage!

[@JJGordon-do4rx]

Superb! Congratulations to everyone involved.

[@matthewlynn793]

So, will the building serve as a train station or will it be used in other ways?

[@janilovettslc]

Love this! Congrats Detriot

[@StevenJAmato]

Nice 👍 job guys. 😊

[@lindasullivan3270]

Detroit also has a great and beautiful airport!

[@williamlucas4656]

Now, when will the trains come back?

[@michaelanthonyvideos]

It’s a miracle.

[@WrokBindsor]

"activated by experiential retail" = there will be shops here

[@DB-gr7ch]

The purpose of that building was to be a functioning train station. Moving people.
Our society now "moves people" by creating symbols and living in nostalgia.

[@sweetwater2128]

the graffiti they kept looks like shit