Photo: Ford
For the second time in less than three weeks, Ford announced a major investment in Detroit real estate.
At the end of May, Ford said it would be reconverting a 110-year old, 45,000-square-foot building into the headquarters for Team Edison, the division in charge with the development of technologies required for the carmaker's electrification efforts.
This weekend, Ford announced it has bought one of Detroit’s most iconic ruins, the Michigan Central Station, for the purpose of converting it into “a vibrant new campus that will serve as an innovation hub for Ford’s vision for the future of transportation.”
The Michigan Central Station, built as the main intercity passenger rail depot in the city in 1914, has been abandoned ever since 1988.
According to Ford, the new campus that would include the station 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.
For the first few years, the Michigan Central Station would be home to 2,500 Ford employees, most of them part of the mobility teams. They are to begin working at the new location starting 2022. An additional 2,500 employees of partners and other businesses are to be added later.
Ford said it would provide additional details as to what exactly it plans to do at the station on Tuesday.
“Michigan Central Station is a powerful symbol of Detroit’s struggles and now its resurgence, but Ford’s investment in Corktown is far from symbolic,” said in a statement Bill Ford, the company’s chairman.
“We aren’t just making a bet on Detroit. We are making a big bet on the future for Ford and the future of transportation. It’s exciting to imagine what’s possible as we build tomorrow, together.”
Aside for the new location for Team Edison and the Michigan Central Station, Ford has also purchased the former Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, two acres of vacant land, and the site of an old brass factory.
This weekend, Ford announced it has bought one of Detroit’s most iconic ruins, the Michigan Central Station, for the purpose of converting it into “a vibrant new campus that will serve as an innovation hub for Ford’s vision for the future of transportation.”
The Michigan Central Station, built as the main intercity passenger rail depot in the city in 1914, has been abandoned ever since 1988.
According to Ford, the new campus that would include the station 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.
For the first few years, the Michigan Central Station would be home to 2,500 Ford employees, most of them part of the mobility teams. They are to begin working at the new location starting 2022. An additional 2,500 employees of partners and other businesses are to be added later.
Ford said it would provide additional details as to what exactly it plans to do at the station on Tuesday.
“Michigan Central Station is a powerful symbol of Detroit’s struggles and now its resurgence, but Ford’s investment in Corktown is far from symbolic,” said in a statement Bill Ford, the company’s chairman.
“We aren’t just making a bet on Detroit. We are making a big bet on the future for Ford and the future of transportation. It’s exciting to imagine what’s possible as we build tomorrow, together.”
Aside for the new location for Team Edison and the Michigan Central Station, Ford has also purchased the former Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, two acres of vacant land, and the site of an old brass factory.
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