Ford Acquires Former Train Station in Detroit, Plans Revitalization

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. has acquired Michigan Central Station and the adjacent book depository building in Detroit, according to local media reports. The purchase price was not disclosed. The 18-story building opened in late December of 1913 as a passenger rail depot. Ford will revitalize the long-vacant property into the hub of a Corktown campus focused on advanced automotive technology. The property, which had become synonymous with urban blight, will give the automaker a hub near downtown and the ability to add hundreds of employees to the neighborhood. The seller, the Moroun family, has owned the station since the early 1990s. Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. will discuss plans for the building at an event on June 19. Ford’s operations will remain headquartered in Dearborn.