Stories Behind The Buckeye State
Friday March 29th 2024

Detroit’s Grand Dame To Get Face Lift

Photo by flickr user bigoteetoe

 

Though we generally only cover the historic places and happenings of Ohio, we sometimes have news from elsewhere that’s simply too important not to share with you. Today that news is coming from the motor city. One of Detroit’s most beautiful and simultaneously most neglected buildings, the Michigan Central Station is slated to get a face lift.

My Fox Detroit is reporting that the buildings owner, Manuel “Matty” Moroun is making plans to at least partially renovate the building. The project calls for replacing the station’s roof and windows to help prevent further deterioration of the structure. They are stopping short of a complete renovation due to the astronomical cost involved.

The station was built in 1913 by the architecture firm Reed & Stem who also constructed New York’s Grand Central Station. The station had a long and grand history but saw a slow and painful death as commuter rail traffic  declined in favor of the automobile. Michigan Central Station saw its last train in 1988 and has been slowly deteriorating due to lack of maintenance, the elements, and of course vandals since then.

While it may be short of the great come back and revitalization we would love to see, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for a city that demolishes its historic gems in favor of over-grown plots and unused parking lots.

 

See It For Yourself:

 

Sources:
MyFoxDetroit.com– “Facelift Planned for Detroit’s Michigan Central Depot
Buildings Of Detroit- “Michigan Central Station”
Wikipedia- “Michigan Central Station” & “Reed & Stem

 

Related Tags: ,

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

More from category

Remembering The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire – 100 Years Later
Remembering The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire – 100 Years Later

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 is one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the United States [Read More]

Insider

Archives