Ford Motor Company has acquired Michigan Central Station and plans to transform it into the centerpiece of a vibrant new campus in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood that will serve as an innovation hub for the auto maker’s vision for the future of transportation.
The acquisition of Michigan Central Station comes alongside the company’s purchase of the former Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, two acres of vacant land, and the site of an old brass factory, as well as the recent purchase of a refurbished former factory in Corktown, now home to Ford’s electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle business teams.
The new campus will comprise approximately 1,200,000ft² (111,500m²) of property and will serve the community with a mixed-use space including office space for office and retail space, and some residential housing.
Initial plans include locating approximately 2,500 Ford employees, most from the mobility team, to call Corktown their work home by 2022. There will also be space to accommodate 2,500 additional employees of partners and other businesses among Michigan Central Station and the other developments.
Ford will also host a community Open House from Friday, June 22 to Sunday, June 24 for a rare, inside look at Michigan Central Station before renovations.
“Michigan Central Station is a powerful symbol of Detroit’s struggles and now its resurgence, but Ford’s investment in Corktown is far from symbolic,” said Bill Ford, the company’s executive chairman.
“We aren’t just making a bet on Detroit. We are making a big bet on the future for Ford and the future of transportation. It’s exciting to imagine what’s possible as we build tomorrow, together.”
