Following five years of nearly non-stop construction, Michigan Central Station will celebrate its official opening on June 6th, 2024, at which point visitors will get their very first look at this massive renovation project. For Ford, this is a pivotal moment after it has invested heavily in that site in an effort to rejuvenate the historic Corktown neighborhood that has fallen on hard times in recent years, and as such, it has quite the celebration planned, even though the extent of its actual footprint there remains a bit unclear. In addition to hiring ambassadors to greet visitors to Michigan Central Station, those plans include hosting a concert and an open house this summer. However, until now, it was unclear just how much money Ford invested in Michigan Central, though spokesperson Dan Barbossa disclosed that information to the Detroit Free Press in a recent interview.
According to Barbossa, Ford sunk a whopping $950 million in the 30-acre Michigan Central Station campus, as well as its work in redeveloping other properties in nearby Corktown. Ford has thus far declined to reveal how much of that nearly one billion went toward the restoration of Michigan Central itself, however.
In addition to the Michigan Central Station site, FoMoCo has restored a variety of other nearby buildings including the Albert Kahn-designed Book Depository that sits next door and originally served as a U.S. Post Office when it opened in 1936, and later, was a warehouse for public schools in Detroit before it sat empty for three decades. Now, it will be used as a space for mobility-focused companies, and thus far, that building – dubbed Newlab at Michigan Central – is home to 97 startups and 600 employees, in fact.
Those interested in checking out Michigan Central Station will be able to do so during the grand opening ceremony, as well as between June 7th-16th, when it will host “Michigan Central OPEN,” a 10-day open house for the public that will allow them to see the first floor of the renovated train station following that opening night concert. Those interested in participating will be able to register online for these free events and tours starting today, May 17th for locals surrounding the area, and on the 21st for the general public.
We’ll have more on Michigan Central Station soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
Literally, what?
We’ve heard very few details on exactly what all the “start up companies” are developing (at New Lab). Hopefully, we will start to learn more about what they are doing. I’ve heard “mobility” this and that. Ideally, ALL the companies involved there SHOULD be developing products and solutions that directly tie on to the automotive/ transportation industry. GO, FORD! :0)
what are you talking about? your comment doesn’t have any context in relation to the article.
Russian or chinese bot
This is cute, but a total waste of money on Ford’s part. They already have enough space at their Dearborn campuses for such activities. The $1 Billion would have been better spent restarting the twice-cancelled paint shop at Flat Rock so it could add CUVs and SUVs or equipping Oakville to be able to produce both EV and ICE vehicles so its not sitting idle for three plus years.