Opening in 1913, Michigan Central Station stood in the heart of Southwest Detroit where it would welcome more than 4,000 daily passengers coming into the city. After its close in 1988, the building stood as a symbol of Detroit’s downfall and decay.

Finally, in 2018 Ford bought the building for $90 million dollars and invested $950 million, with $300 million coming from local, state, and rehabilitation tax incentives. Along with the train station, came the restoration of the “Roosevelt Warehouse” or as many people know it as the “Detroit Public Schools Book Depository”. The project, which was delayed for COVID, finally finished after 6 years of hard work from the 3100 workers.

With a live concert on June 6^th of 15,000 attendee’s that featured performances by many of Detroit famous music artists, the newly renovated station was re-opened with guests getting open access to the ground floor starting June 16^th, where they can admire the work that was done and the limestone that was sourced from its original quarry in Indiana, after Ford reopened it.

In a time where working from home is common, Ford will be putting people back in the office, starting with at least 2,500 employees primarily from the EV and “Connected Services Team”, which focuses on in-vehicle technology and connectivity.

Not only is Ford going to be the main tenant in the building, but the building is scheduled to have 2/3 of the main tower full of tenants. These other companies will be comprised of restaurants, a hotel, and other small shops.

Bill Ford said he wanted to “create an ecosystem”, and that is essentially what he’s doing with the surrounding areas of Southwest Detroit expected to see an economic shift. Not only have the 3100 workers that Ford hired help local restaurants and businesses, but the surrounding houses have seen a big increase in value. While this does scare some residents with higher property tax values and an increase in rent, Mayor Mike Duggan believes that no other part of Detroit has grown like Southwest Detroit and that houses have near tripled in value with the boom of Corktown and Mexican town. The city has also received a $30 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to build 550 affordable rental units.