DETROIT – Ford is talking to the Moroun family about buying an icon of blight in Detroit: the Michigan Central Station in Corktown.
It was a movie set, a mecca for urban explorers and Detroit's ultimate symbol of blight, and after 30 years of withering away, sources confirmed to Local 4 that there are talks between the Morouns, who own Michigan Central Station, and Ford Motor Co.
Ford is interested in buying the old train station and redeveloping it. Nothing from Moroun is official, but Ford had a little something to say about the reports.
Michigan Central Station has been prominently featured in "Batman vs. Superman" and the Transformers series. The Hollywood types set up shop for weeks at a time to use its imposing facade.
In 2015, the Morouns put windows in the building, drained the flooded basement and added lighting. Somehow, the shadow of the wreck didn't hamper all the new that has been popping up in Corktown for the last eight years, including Ford Motor Co., which is already moving its Team Edison here.
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People who are active in historic preservation in the city began buzzing about this last week, but it reached a fever pitch on all social media platforms Monday afternoon. When asked about its interest in the property, Ford sent out a statement, which reads, in part:
"We are excited about our return to Detroit this year with our electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle teams relocating to the factory in Corktown. While we anticipate our presence over time will grow as our EV/AV teams move Downtown, we have nothing further to announce at this time."