DETROIT – The first train rolled out of Michigan Central Station on Dec. 26, 1913.

The locomotive was headed to Saginaw Bay, and a train from Chicago arrived at the new station later that evening.

Michigan Central Station was originally scheduled to open in 1914, but a fire at the old depot at Third and Jefferson avenues forced the station to open early.

“The new station stood last night, lights shining from windows high above the building line in the neighborhood, a sentinel of progress,” the Detroit Tribune published after the station’s rushed opening.

The rise and fall

The large building in Corktown became a symbol known around the world, as travelers came and left Detroit. However, the station would eventually fall victim to decreased train traffic and become a less desirable symbol of decay in the city.

The main waiting room closed in April 1967. Amtrak took over in 1971, reopened the waiting room, and invested over $1 million in renovations, including a new bus terminal.

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Despite these efforts, use continued to decline. Amtrak moved to a smaller station, and in 1985, the building was sold to Kaybee Corp., a New York-based company.

MCS ceased to serve as a transportation hub when the last Chicago-bound train departed the station on Jan. 5, 1988.

For decades, plans for the building consistently fell through, and it became a place for vandals, the unhoused and urban explorers.

Scrappers had stolen anything they could reach, and the open roof allowed weather to impact the inside of the building.

Rise again

Ford Motor Co. announced it had purchased the train station in the summer of 2018.

The automaker poured significant money into the iconic building and gave tours as it renovated the structure.

More than three thousand workers spent 1.7 million hours of labor on the station. Millions of gallons of water were pumped from the basement.

—> See before and after photos of restoration at Detroit’s Michigan Central Station

The building celebrated its reopening with a massive, sold-out concert on June 6, 2024. Diana Ross, Jack White and Eminem performed.

After years of renovations, the historic train station was given new life and has become a hub for tech and innovation, housing multiple businesses, retail space and more.

But that’s not all. A Literary Lounge is scheduled to open in 2026. A luxury hotel expected to open in 2027 will be located on the top five floors.

A new transit hub, including Amtrak service, is also set to bring new passenger rail and bus connections.