A look at the history behind Michigan Central ahead of grand reopening

(CBS DETROIT) – The Michigan Central Station opened to the public the day after Christmas in 1913.

There was no fanfare. 

“It was rushed into service because the former Michigan Central Depot downtown caught fire,” said Michigan Central Communications Director Dan Austin. “And for that reason, this building did not get a grand opening.”

Seven months later, the fighting began overseas in what would eventually become World War I. 

Back home in Detroit, Austin said, things were bustling and the city was steadily growing.

“People were starting to flock to Detroit to work in the auto factories,” Austin said. “This station opened just in time to greet them. So when you had a lot of folks coming up from the South or coming from New York, wherever they came to Detroit from, this is the building they first stepped into. … It was a welcome mat. It was this grand public space.” 

In 1917, the U.S. entered the war, and troops from Detroit shipped off from the station to head to training and then to the European front. The lucky ones came home to their loved ones through the station. The rest arrived in flag-draped coffins on the trains.

When the war was over, the roaring 20s began, and people were on the move. They would take a street car to the station, heading to destinations like Florida for a vacation or a honeymoon in Niagara Falls.

There were even some big stars that came through the station. 

“There was a day when Charlie Chaplin and Herbert Hoover arrived on the same train from New York,” Austin said. “Charlie Chaplin being the megastar that he was, throngs of Detroiters came down to see him and greet him and completely ignored Herbert Hoover.” 

It was not a good sign for a presidential candidate to make a campaign stop. 

The station played a big role in Detroit’s prosperity through the first half of the 20th century. Industries in the city were booming, and they became top makers of items like stoves and cigars. Many African Americans used the train to escape Jim Crow laws down south and find more prosperous work in the north

At its peak during the Depression and through World War II, 4,000 passengers a day would come through Michigan Central, swelling Detroit’s population to 2 million people.

“This building was at the center of so much for so many people who called Detroit home,” Austin said. “Now for the first time in 30 years, almost 40, it’s back for the people of Detroit to use again.” 

After being closed for 36 years, Michigan Central reopens to the public this week. The public is invited to visit the building for interior and exterior tours from June 6-16 during the Michigan Central OPEN events.

A reopening concert on Thursday will feature several artists, including Detroit’s own Diana Ross, Big Sean and Jack White.