Though no longer an active rail station, Michigan Central Station is one of Detroit’s most iconic historic buildings. Opened in 1913, it was once a grand passenger rail hub with a huge Beaux-Arts waiting room, marble floors, towering ceilings, and space for thousands of daily travelers. After decades of decline and closure in 1988, the depot sat abandoned for more than 30 years and became a symbol of Detroit’s ups and downs.

In the 2020s, Ford Motor Company bought and fully restored the structure, reopening it to the public in 2024 as part of a revitalized innovation and cultural destination in the Corktown neighborhood. Today the station building houses public spaces, retail, exhibits and offices for tech and mobility projects, and its historic grandeur has been preserved as a centerpiece of Detroit’s urban resurgence — even as passenger trains don’t currently use the main building itself.