Detroit Auto Show and Michigan Central Train Station

[doitmyself]

Son and I attended the Detroit Auto Show this past Wednesday. It was fun and o.k., but severely down sized and nothing like the grand spectacle (good) it was pre-Covid. Some major brands missing. Honda display was not corporate - dealer only display. Most missed by me were the lovely models displaying the concept cars. Bummer.

Maybe more spectacular was our tour of the newly opened,renovated Michigan Central Train Station. Kudos to Bill Ford and his personal passion project. From a scary looking ghost building to an attractive office and museum is simply one of the great projects of modern times. There are plenty of stories and pictures online, so I will not share mine. A definite must-see for history, architecture, and train buffs.

This:...................................................................................................................................To This:

 

[harbor]

I was there Tue with the wife and totally agree with your assessment. OEM involvement was light, and the empty space was filled with over-sized EV, Jeep & Bronco ride alongs. GM dominated the show for sure.
With the upheaval going on in the industry, most OEMs would rather display at lager shows not dominated by hometown manufacturers, i.e., Chicago, NY, LA, Frankfurt, Geneva, etc. We should get the Detroit show attendance numbers Monday, but it won’t be good.

I actually worked for the Grand Trunk in my college days - one Summer as a clerk and one as a track laborer.

 

[Kestas]

I'm hoping to see the inside of the renovated building some time soon.

I have a very early memory of being there with my parents to pick somebody up.

 

[Dave Hess]

Lots of older YouTube videos showing the condition of building.

Good to see them R&R this historic building.

 

[doitmyself]

I'm hoping to see the inside of the renovated building some time soon.

I have a very early memory of being there with my parents to pick somebody up.

While most of the "hard" portions of the building are original (marble floors, pillars, etc.), it's sad how much they had to replace with replica materials. Much of the wooden wall paneling, doors, and wood work are new recreations of the original. Most, if not all of the hanging lights are newly-built replicas based on pictures, blue prints, etc.. Over three thousand craftsmen were involved. The restoration experts researching the original details and/or finding an original to duplicate is amazing in itself. Too bad they did not fence off the building from vandalism when it was shuttered in 1988.

They are still working on the project, with the possibility of the top three floors becoming a hotel, adding some restaurants, etc.. I also hope they can create a bit more atmosphere/nostalgia of the actual train station operation in it's hey day, similar to the Greenfield Village experience.

 

[doitmyself]

A few of my pics.: click to expand.