Michigan Central Station, also known as Michigan Central Depot or MCS, was built in 1913 for the Michigan Central Railroad. When it was built it was the tallest rail station in the world. It is located in Corktown, Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge, southwest of downtown Detroit. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The building is of the Beaux-Arts Classical style of architecture, designed by the Warren and Wetmore and Reed and Stem firms. The MCS is a 500,000 square foot building. The main waiting room on the main floor was designed to model an ancient Roman bathhouse with vaulted ceilings and walls of marble. The MCS was designed to include a hotel, offices for the rail company, a large hall that contained the ticket office, and arcade shops. Currently, Michigan Central Station is in ruins.
Even though this building is in ruins it is still really beautiful. It also has a lot of history in it. Michigan Central Station symbolizes the rise and fall in Detroit. For 75 years, the depot shipped people off to war, brought them home, and took them on vacation. "It was Detroit's Ellis Island, where many generations of Detroiters first stepped foot into the city for factory jobs." It was filled with the sounds of hellos and goodbyes. Now, after its been out of use for nearly 25 years, it has been a place for vandals and the homeless. The only sounds heard are the spraying of paint cans, dripping of water through the holes in the ceiling, and the whistling of wind through the broken windows. There has been some talk of renovation but nothing has been finalized.
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