What Does The Reopening of Michigan Central Station Mean For Detroit?

The building shuttered its doors in 1988.

We all know it's been tough times for the Motor City but if Detroiters are known for anything it's their resilience and perseverance!

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What was once a symbol of Detroit's decline is now a beacon of hope as the historic Michigan Central Station in Corktown is set to see new life this spring. Here's what we know so far:

Coming Soon

After changing hands several times and sitting vacant for nearly 30 years, Detroit locals noticed a mysterious date projected on the exterior of the building which simply read: "6.06.24."

We now know that is the date the planned reopening of the building by the Ford Motor Company. According to the Detroit Free Press Ford bought the building in 2018,

...to become the centerpiece of a new Detroit mobility campus, which is an open platform campus for dozens of companies and startups — most of them unrelated to Ford.

Local Reactions

Detroit's Corktown district has seen many changes over the years, most for the better. In addition to new shops, condos, and hotels going up in the area the new Ford project has also brought in about 4,000 new residents.

Longtime Corktown resident and activist Shaun Nethercott told WDIV,

Corktown was a small neighborhood of about 1200 people...[the reopening's ]really changed the sense of community in that neighborhood. There's so many new buildings, so many new people

Of course with all this new buzz comes fears of gentrification and skyrocketing property taxes. Adds Nethercott,

people are a bit worried about whether their children will be able to live here because of the fact that you know the prices have gotten so so high

Yes of course this neighborhood will soon navigate new territory but like I said: resilience and perseverance! The reopening of Michigan Central Station is just one more step in the road to recovery for Detroit.