Recently, Michigan lawmakers discussed the possibility of using some Federal stimulus money to renovate the dilapidated Michigan Central Depot which has stood empty since 1988. Now ringed in barbed wire and 'tagged' with graffiti, the massive Detroit building seems to be perched at a high ledge awaiting it's fate. Detroit City Counsel wants to demolish the building but, Michigan legislators think it could be used as a Michigan State Police lab, a Homeland Security border protection office and an international trade processing center. This sounds great at first but is it really worth it? The property has very little parking space to support the 500,000+ square feet of space within the building. This is due to fact that when the building was designed in the early 1900s cars were a novelty and passengers came to the secluded station via trolley car from the city.
I'm torn on this subject. The building, in it's day, dominated the city skyline. Richly decorated inside and out in marble the Michigan Central Depot was a showpiece of architecture and engineering. It is still an incredibly attractive building even in it's decayed state and resides on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. The big question here is this, can it be sustained? Rail travel is rare these days and the proposed uses by the state would barely make a dent in the space available within the vast building. Who will pay to keep the heat on in a bitter Michigan winter? Not to mention the estimated 100 million dollar estimate to renovate the building to usable status again.
As much as I loath to see a historic building lost to the wrecking ball, I don't see how this building can be of any further use. The layout of money to get everything up to health and safety codes which will allow the building to be reopened is just too great. The Depot has sat far too long and I don't believe there is any way to turn back the clock now.
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