Opened in 1914, this massive 46,000 m^2 facility acted as the main train station of Detroit after the original depot in Downtown burned down the year before. The building is located in Corktown in the hopes of developing the area, and passengers would need to take other modes of transportation to reach Downtown. That and the fact that the rails were on a spur line showed the city completely lacked foresight in infrastructural development, as it was unable to fully handle the amount of traffic needed. At its height during WWI 200 trains arrived a day at the Michigan Central and even in the 1940s, it handled 4000 passengers, including Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt, as well as Charlie Chaplin and Thomas Edison, while some 3000 office workers toiled in the spaces above.
Things came to a head when the Great Depression hit Detroit hard. Adding to the troubles, as automobiles became more prevalent it was soon found Michigan Central was unable to hold the needed parking spaces. After WWII use of the station sharply declined, and by 1967 only two small ticket counters remained open. A brief revitalization after Amtrak took over in 1971 ended when the railroad finally moved for good in 1988. It has remained abandoned ever since. Various efforts to reopen the facility have thus far failed. Its fate remains uncertain.
Since closing the massive abandoned building has become a popular sight for ruin photography/urban exploration. Films shot here have included Transformers (2006), The Island, and other films. It is a popular site for some of Eminem's projects, seen in 8 Mile and the music video
Beautiful.
Corktown, Detroit, Michigan