DETROIT: Michigan Central Station

Modelled from a Roman Bath this was the central waiting room.

The main concourse featured an image of the Detroit skyline donated by the local newspaper

I'll admit since before I knew officially about moving to Detroit, there was one place I wanted to visit, perhaps its my love of trains and old buildings but the Michigan Central Railway Station is the perfect place for photographs. Formally this train station was the hub for Detroit and south-eastern Michigan's rail network, now unfortunately the building is a shell, it's windows are broken or missing, entrances are boarded.

It was designed after the original station was burnt down in 1913 and completed with 18 floor office space above with a huge luggage basement below all complete with a shopping arcade.  The station itself isn't within walking distance of Downtown so passengers arrived using the street car. However the Depression and the introduction of the car [remember Detroit is Motor City] the street cars vanished and so the station was cut off. While it managed to serve it's use during WWII it somewhat survived the declining use of public transport if only just. Nevertheless in 1988 the station closed.

Standing in the right place you can peek through the boarded entrances, you can only imagine how gorgeous this building once was. While landscaping has occurred and construction vehicles are parked before the main doors whether any work is being undertaken, or being planned remains unknown. In the UK you could imagine such a building having a preservation order and restored into some transportation museum, it's a shame its not happening to this place. It is a magnificent building.