Photo: Ford
Back in June, American manufacturer Ford announced a major real estate investment in the city of Detroit, as it purchased one of the most iconic ruins in Detroit, the Michigan Central Station. Nearly six months, later, Ford says work on the renovation of the building has begun.
The project to turn the massive structure from a dying wreck into a usable work space consists of three stages. At first, builders will have to stabilize the structure and drain the tons of water that have seeped through nearly every material and soaked the building over the years.
Then the builders contracted by the carmaker will have to replace the mechanical and electrical systems and restore the exterior of the building. Work on the interior and its restoration come next as the final stage.
“The building has been open to the elements for years, so the work being done first is mainly internal, weatherizing and making the building stable,” said in a statement Mary Culler, Ford’s development director.
“And it’s not just physical construction happening, behind the scenes we are designing and planning an urban ecosystem built around the future of mobility.”
When complete, the site would be approximately 1.2 million square feet in size, and it would “serve the community with a mixed-use space including office space for office and retail space.” Residential housing is also included in the project.
Most importantly, the Michigan Central Station will house most of the people working on the carmaker’s plans for the future. About 2,500 employees, most of them part of the mobility teams, will start working there from 2020. An equal number is to be added by other companies renting space at the location.
The Michigan Central Station, built as the main intercity passenger rail depot in the city in 1914, has been abandoned ever since 1988.
Then the builders contracted by the carmaker will have to replace the mechanical and electrical systems and restore the exterior of the building. Work on the interior and its restoration come next as the final stage.
“The building has been open to the elements for years, so the work being done first is mainly internal, weatherizing and making the building stable,” said in a statement Mary Culler, Ford’s development director.
“And it’s not just physical construction happening, behind the scenes we are designing and planning an urban ecosystem built around the future of mobility.”
When complete, the site would be approximately 1.2 million square feet in size, and it would “serve the community with a mixed-use space including office space for office and retail space.” Residential housing is also included in the project.
Most importantly, the Michigan Central Station will house most of the people working on the carmaker’s plans for the future. About 2,500 employees, most of them part of the mobility teams, will start working there from 2020. An equal number is to be added by other companies renting space at the location.
The Michigan Central Station, built as the main intercity passenger rail depot in the city in 1914, has been abandoned ever since 1988.
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