Ford recently confirmed its interest in purchasing Michigan Central Station in Corktown. According to Crain’s Detroit Business, Edsel Ford II said the company’s board of directors was made aware of plans to purchase the infamously abandoned station as part of a redevelopment of Corktown. The building is currently owned by the family of billionaire Manuel Moroun.
The station, its 230-foot-tall, 18-floor office tower, and the 110,000-sf concourse have been vacant since 1988. Despite recent improvements, such as the installation of 1,100 new windows at a cost of $8 million, the abandoned facility would require a substantial reconstruction and renovation effort to get it back to working order.
See Also: Ford begins 10-year plan to centralize Dearborn, Mich., campus
Ford has already purchased a building in Corktown and wants to establish a campus in the area to have its autonomous and electric vehicle units in one spot. The interest in purchasing Michigan Central Station to spur a redevelopment in the Corktown area could be an attempt to attract young talent to support the company’s more future-forward goals, i.e. its autonomous and electric vehicle plans.
Michigan Central Station has been the focus of many potential restoration projects, but, to this point, none have been able to move passed the negotiation phase.
Update
Ford has officially purchased Michigan Central Station. According to the Detroit Free Press, the campus will become the hub of a new campus focused on advanced automotive technology. Ford also purchased the neighboring book depository building, also owned by the Morouns. More details about Ford's plans for the site will be revealed at a media event on June 19th.
Related Stories
| Jul 19, 2013
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HOK, HDR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 15, 2013
Developer plans to convert historic Kansas City high-rise to mixed-use with 55 new apartments
An $18 million redevelopment proposal would convert a historic Kansas City high-rise into a commercial/residential property.
| Jul 8, 2013
Unique Butte, Montana stained glass courthouse dome needs restoration
A unique stained-glass dome capping the rotunda at the Butte-Silver Bow County courthouse in Butte, Montana is in danger of being lost without a restoration.
| Jul 1, 2013
Tennessee utility earns first LEED-EB pilot credit after energy efficiency retrofit
USGBC awarded a LEED-certified plaque to the headquarters building of Chattanooga's electric utility, EPB, in June. It is the first building in the world to earn LEED certification using a new pilot credit for satisfying an energy pre-requisite in the LEED for Existing Buildings: O&M Rating System.
Sponsored | | Jun 30, 2013
Get your 'Early Bird' entry in for BD+C 30th Annual Reconstruction Awards
The deadline is for BD+C's 30th Annual Reconstruction Awards is July 19, but if you get me a draft of your entry by July 12 (earlier if possible, please!), we'll read it and give you feedback and suggestions that could help you win. We'll give you enough time to rework your entry in time to meet the deadline. We do this "Early Bird" service to help you put together the best possible entry - one that will answer any questions our distinguished jury members may come up with. However, we must emphasize that the BD+C Reconstruction Awards program is a juried competition, so there are no guarantees you'll win. We're just trying to improve your odds. Building Design+Construction is the only publication in its field to recognize the importance of reconstruction in all its forms - historic preservation, adaptive reuse, renovation, fitouts, and reconstruction with addition. And we've been doing it for 30 years. Incidentally, reconstruction accounts for 30-35% of all revenue for AEC firms, so it's a key component of the US/Canada design and construction industry. Send your draft entry to: rcassidy@sgcmail.com. And good luck!
| Jun 26, 2013
L.A.’s airport authority to spend heavily on terminal renovations, upgrades
Los Angeles World Airports, L.A.’s regional airport authority, is planning to spend slightly more than $4 billion on capital improvement projects during a five-year period ending in 2018.
| Jun 17, 2013
New North Tower opens at Greensboro, N.C.’s Moses Cone Hospital expansion/renovation
A $200 million expansion and renovation at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, N.C. reached a big milestone this month with the opening of the new North Tower.
| Jun 13, 2013
L.A.'s natural history museum completes reimagining of buildings and grounds
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles completed a full-scale transformation this month with the opening of its new Nature Gardens and Nature Lab and the Otis Booth Pavilion with an iconic Fin Whale specimen.
| May 31, 2013
$3 million renovation leads to rebirth of Boston hotel with new upscale identity
After a $3 million renovation, the Bulfinch Hotel in Boston has been reborn as the Boxer, a more upscale property.
