'It's inspiring': Michigan Central Station now open for non-reserved, self-guided tours

DETROIT (WXYZ) — After 10 days of reserved tours, Michigan Central Station is now open to the public.

Starting this weekend, anyone can stop by Michigan Central for free entry and a self-guided tour, which will be running every Friday and Saturday until the end of August.

In less than an hour after opening Friday, more than 700 people walked through the doors to see the story of the station firsthand. There was a line long waiting for the tours to start.

“It was phenomenal,” lifelong Detroiter Nathan Brown said. “It’s inspiring just looking at the work that’s been done throughout the facility.”

“It brought back a lot of memories. My mom always told me about this place,” Michelle Shelton said.

For Shelton, this moment was about her mom whose parents arrived at the station in 1948 from Mississippi, settling their family in Detroit. Until now, Shelton had only seen it as a ruin.

“She’s since passed, so being here is really nostalgic for me because I wish she was here to see it,” Shelton said of her mom. “How beautiful it is and how much it’s restored and what it’s going to do for the city of Detroit”

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The station is full of exhibits that tell the story of the station and in a way, the story of Detroiters.

“The pictures of the people and you go by there and read their stories, it’s phenomenal,” Susan McAmmond said.

McAmmond and Donna Edwards missed out on tickets for the reopening celebration, so they came to the first tour they could. The building is what welcomed Edwards’ family to Detroit when her grandparents immigrated from Poland.

“Amazing,” Edwards said. “I feel them. You feel like you’re with them.”

VIDEO: Community explores Michigan Central Station as tours begin

Community explores Michigan Central Station as tours begin

John Ruggiero III is one of the lucky ones who saw the building in it’s glory, landing a job in the railroad industry right out of college.

“It’s tough what they let happen to it, which should’ve never happened,” Ruggiero said. “But now, it’s just… they did a stunning job.”

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On the surface, Michigan Central is just a restored old building. However, for Detroiters, it’s much more than that. It tells a story not only of Detroit’s past but also it’s future.

“I think it represents a lot of the resurgence, the renaissance of Detroit and how there are jewels underneath some of the rubble,” Shelton said. “We’ve been down and out, set out to pasture, you’re never coming back. What it represents is a rebirth and what’s possible.”

VIDEO: 103-year-old former Michigan Central Station worker visits renovated building

103-year-old former Michigan Central Station worker visits renovated building

Anyone is welcome to stop by for a self-guided tour Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and also Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.