This day in history: Michigan Central Station opens in 1913
(CBS DETROIT) - On this day, 110 years ago, Michigan Central Station opened.
The station is located in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood and opened on Dec. 26, 1913, earlier than scheduled, due to a fire at the Third Street station, according to the Detroit Historical Society.
Construction on the structure for the station began in 1912 to accommodate passenger rail travel. It was designed by Whitney Warren and Charles D. Wetmore, with Charles A. Reed and Allen Stem, who designed Grand Central Station in New York.
The station was constructed with a three-story depot with 10 gates for trains, an 18-story tower and more than 500 offices. It featured a restaurant, barber, florist, bathing facilities, and more, according to the Detroit Historical Society.
The first train that left the station in 1913 arrived in Saginaw and Bay City. The first train to arrive was from Chicago.
Several presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, visited the station over the years.
Theodore Roosevelt was the first to visit in 1916, and just three years later, the day after he had died, the city council named the park outside of the station Roosevelt Park, according to the station's website.
In addition, Charlie Chaplin and Thomas Edison were two notable people who weren't politicians to visit the station.
At its peak, Michigan Central Station saw more than 4,000 travelers each day in the 1940s and experienced a decrease in travelers in the 1950s when rail travel began to decline.
According to its website, the last train left the station in January 1988.
There were several redevelopment plans throughout the years, and the building even faced threats of being demolished, but it was saved thanks to several factors, including a lawsuit that had cited the building's spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ford Motor Company purchased the structure in 2018 and announced its plans to turn the building into a mixed-use space for the future of mobility with labs, testing platforms, public spaces and more.
The automaker had initially planned to reopen the station in 2023 but now has plans to reopen it next year.
"It was 110 years ago today that Michigan Central Station opened, welcoming its first train," according to a post on the Michigan Central Facebook page today. "The station had to be rushed into service ahead of schedule after a fire destroyed the old Michigan Central depot downtown. This meant that it never had the grand opening celebration it deserved. Next year, we'll look to fix that, when we reopen this venerable Detroit landmark fully restored to glory. We hope you'll join us!"
