And Now With Windows

A few months ago, I saw that they added some windows to the Michigan Central Train Station.  I was going to take pictures of it at some point.  Since I was so close, I decided to head over to it.

 If there is one building that is the symbol of the decay of Detroit, it is probably this one.  Because of the buildings that it is surrounded by, it is a prominent feature in the area.  There are many photographs that have been used to show just how far Detroit has sunk.  Especially since pretty much every window in the building was broken.

 The station was built in 1913 to replace another train station that burnt down.  At the time of its construction, it was tallest train station in the world.

 On January 6, 1988, the last Amtrak train pulled away from the station as the owners decided to close the building.  The Amtrak station is now by the New Center Area of Detroit and doesn't look nearly as elegant.

 The building has stood vacant since then and has been the target of many vandals.  I think they managed to break every window in the building.  I will have to admit, the addition of windows makes it look alot better but there is still a ways to go.

 In February of 2015, the owners came to an agreement with the city.  They would swap some of the land along the Detroit River and gave much needed money to the city for improvement of the parks.  Another part of this deal was that they would at least add windows to the building.

 Work started on that in July of 2015.  They also added a barbed wire fence to try to keep vandals away from the building.  I'm not sure when they put the rest of the windows in.

 There is still alot of work to do on this building.

 And despite the improvements, its future is still cloudy but at least something is being done.

 I'll have to admit, it was pretty cool going down Woodward and seeing all the construction (not that it has anything to do with this station).  I think Detroit is going to make a major comeback.

 I love the stonework.

 Another angle.

 It would be nice to see condos or something built here.

 But who knows how much work needs to be done.

One more shot.