DETROIT – As Ford works to revive Michigan Central Station, artifacts returned to the automaker provide a glimpse into what the historic depot once was.
RELATED: Ford bringing free, 10-day Winter Festival to Michigan Central Station
Those pieces are providing inspiration for the long-vacant station's future.
Michigan Central Station closed in 1988. It has been empty, aside from homeless people who took refuge in the hulking structure, critters and thrill seekers looking to explore the iconic building, ever since. Plans for the depot have continually fallen through, until Ford announced it had purchased the building last summer.
Read More: A brief history of Michigan Central Station
Ford is planning on creating a campus that will consist of about 1.2 million square feet of property in Corktown. The mixed-use space will feature office space, retail space and residential housing.
Renderings of the train station indicate that historic aspects of the large structure will remain, even though the former depot will house autonomous vehicle development.
📷This rendering from Ford, compared to a photo taken inside Michigan Central Station in 2017, shows just how much of the old train depot's design may exist once it is redone. (Amber Ainsworth/WDIV)
"When we have elements like this, we'll know how the look and feel should be," said Ted Ryan, Ford archive manager.
Items from the old station include a large clock, decorative pieces from a stair post, a fire extinguisher, mail slots, train tickets and elevator call buttons, among other historical pieces.
Ford is seeking any pieces from the station that people may have. If you have something from Michigan Central Station, contact Ford at 313-845-3673 or corktown@ford.com.
The video below shows a bit of the company’s vision for MCS and Corktown.