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No other building in this city has captivated more people, including myself, than the Michigan Central Depot. At the beginning of this city's industrial revolution the Depot was a mighty symbol of the opportunities that Detroit had to offer to immigrants and to those looking to make a new life in the north. Today and for many, many years, it has been an epic symbol of this city's shortcomings and the result of a half-century of ambivalent attitude towards historic preservation in Detroit. Occupying approximately 12 acres of land just off Michigan Avenue, the Station divides Corktown from Mexican Town. Its imposing shell looms over the Detroit skyline like the grim reaper of death and neglect.

In its early days, the Michigan Central Station was considered the “Gateway to the Midwest,” bringing immigrants to the factories of the north via luxury passenger cars. They arrived in Detroit by the thousands, riding along a state-of- the-art railroad system. The Depot's presence was elegant and proud: its visitors ranged from the modest and humble to the extraordinary and famous. Movie stars, baseball legends and presidents rode the same rails as the general public, and arrived here at the Michigan Central Station. During the planning for its construction, a site west of down town was chosen for a couple reasons: One, its close proximity and access to the Canadian boarder via the riverfront. Secondly, at the time of its construction, this was where city planners believed the downtown sprawl would eventually stop (suggesting that Detroit was intended to have a skyline that would stretch from Belle Isle all the way past the Ambassador Bridge). Passengers on the trains would reach their destinations in style, and that style would accompany them all the way inside the station.		  
   
 

Hollowed are the halls that reside there, cold and depressed are the colors that never see daylight. Like a tomb or an ancient ruin, it is nothing short of epic, truly an onlynDetroit site if there ever was one. During winter, the whipping winds and snow blow through the hollowed structure, creaking every window from top to bottom. In the summer, beautiful colors of intense sunlight drape the building in a golden blanket. The Michigan Central Depot is a sight like nothing else on Earth. Standing in its shadow you can’t help but feel sorrow and sympathy for the city and its people. Such a building does not deserve this fate.
   
 

     

The upper two floors of the station were originally intended to be used as a mix of office or living space. These floors, however, were never completed due to the overestimation of Detroit’s growth, thus never serving any true economic purpose. The floors remained empty through the station's lifespan, suggesting that the entire construction of the Michigan Central Station was far too ambitious: its size too big and its location too far from downtown. It was a drastic overestimate of the future economics in Detroit. It was this miscalculation that would ultimately spell doom for the station. The domino effect brought on by these flaws was not the result of a single day's work, but years of incompetence. I constantly think about the missed opportunity for a shrewd entrepreneur to become a tycoon in the car rental business. Renting cars to train-wary travelers just pulling into town would have been the Motor City way.

   In 1913 architects Reed and Stem built the station, which consisted only of the main lobby, concourse and passenger tunnel. The tower, which is considered a separate building, was designed and built by Warren & Wetmore. The Beaux Art style used in the construction of the Michigan Central Station featured beautiful terra cotta and marble floors, walls, and ceilings. With its grandiose arches and seventy-six foot high domed ceiling, the main lobby is easily an example of the most extraordinary architecture in the entire city. The once vibrant and lively concourse sits empty today. Now, voices echo with careless ease and crackling footsteps carry far into the upper floors. It is an uncomfortable and ominous feeling to stand in the presence of such beautiful decay, but for me it is all too familiar.
   
 

     

Well, in all honesty this was a long time ago, and we sat around debating it for a while. Once I mustered the guts to go first, I entered through the main doorway in front. Now, as far as entering the building back then, it really wasn’t an issue. It had a fence surrounding it... sort of. The fence wasn’t maintained well and most it was scrapped. The flimsy, mangled portions of fencing left were no match for my boots and we simply walked on in. There was no security to speak of. This was long before 9/11, and trespassing with a camera at the Depot was a highly tolerated event. You could taste the history inside. The old wooden benches that accommodated weary travelers still remained fastened down tight to the lobby floors. They would not be here the second time I explored the century-old Depot.

  

Starting in the 1990s, I had become fascinated with the Train Station after returning from a three-month trip to Florida. While on I-75 I saw the Depot for the first time. Morning sunlight from the east pierced the hollowed structure, shooting orange and pink sprites of light directly through from one side of the building to the other. It was an awesome sight - and I can remember that morning like it was yesterday. I knew right then I had to get inside. I spent the next few months obsessing about getting to the city and exploring this building. I managed to talk a good friend who shares my same sense of adventure into going with me. In late October of 1999 when I just couldn’t take it anymore and with only my learner’s permit I drove down to the station, and walked right inside.
   
 

We continued our exploration around the first floor lobby looking in amazement and wondering how such madness could exist so close to our small suburban world. The opulence that once existed here is replaced with a tragedy that cannot be summed up by mere words. Marble that once lined the walls of the upscale restaurant on the ground floor was now covered in graffiti, adding to the surreal environment. The hip-hop style of bright colors on dulled marble was a stark juxtaposition between urban art and classic architecture. The details of this building are sometimes overwhelming and sometimes they’re so minute one might miss them altogether. The concourse had a large vaulted ceiling and, for years I did not know why this was. Originally, the ceiling of the concourse had large skylights covering it end to end. They were removed and replaced with a new copper roof after WWII. The copper skin was fastened to strips of tin attached to the new roofs truss system. It now hovers above the lifeless lobby floor. Each year a trail of footprints can be seen in the layer of rust that continually rains down from above.
     
 
     
My years of exploring the Michigan Central Station and countless other ruins of the city have given me some profound introspections on Detroit, its people and the culture that is responsible for letting such travesties occur. The haunting surrounding of post-industrial Detroit is not the result of simple neglect or a slight economic downturn. These are the results of failed policies of both the city and its neighboring suburbs. We at onlynDetroit.com will continue to show you the images and share our stories of Detroit with you. In the end, we hope, seeing the city through the lens as we see it will inspire you to look at Detroit differently. This is only the first of several important exposes about the Michigan Central Station we will incorporate into the site.  
     
 

The Michigan Central Station is a building very close to my heart. Recently onlynDetroit.com had the privilege of working on a photo retrospective of the Station in 1973 with artist and photographer Keith Jolly. Through this stunning collection of photography the Michigan Central can bee seen like never before. Collaborating with Jolly, we set out to create the identical photos from his year spent photographing the Station. The comparison images we captured are the truest way to see the impact of thirty-seven years of neglect and decay on Detroit’s one time jewel. We invite you to continue exploring the majestic Michigan Central Station.

 

Click here to explore The Michigan Central Station in 1973