The Michigan Central Station Preservation Society (MCSPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration of the Michigan Central Station and investment into the surrounding Corktown community for the purpose of promoting development and economic prosperity in and around the proximity of the Michigan Central Station. Although our views do not necessarily reflect those of the owner, the MCSPS would like to see the Michigan Central Station become a high-speed train station as well as a multiuse facility and community asset. We hope to see lower barriers to transportation to cities such as Chicago and Toronto in order to create an attractive environment for business and as a result improve the economic conditions of not only the city of Detroit, but the state of Michigan in general. Feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions, comments, or like to me more involved at MichiganCentral@Gmail.com.
Project Background
Students, business, organizations, politicians, musicians and residents across Michigan have teamed up to preserve an iconic piece of Detroit's history. It all began on April 7th, 2009 when the Detroit City Council voted for an expedited demolition of the Michigan Central Station. The move sparked a massive grass roots campaign to save the building. Shortly after, a Detroit resident filed suit against the city citing the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
As the movement continued to grow, Senator Cameron Brown became inspired and recognized the historic nature of the MCS. That moment of inspiration prompted him and fellow senators to share their concerns with the owner in a Letter and subsequent tour of the station on Friday June 12, 2009.
Shortly after, talks between the station owner and John Mohyi resulted in a partnership to save the station. Permission was granted to volunteers, organizations, and sponsors, in Detroit and the greater Detroit area, to breath new life into the Michigan Central Station via a strategic grassroots restoration effort beginning on June 30th 2009.
With a little help from friends at the (Buffalo) Central Terminal Restoration Corp. on September 29th 2009 John Mohyi legally established the Michigan Central Station Preservation Society as a Non-Profit organization with the state of Michigan. Our board of directors currently includes John Mohyi (President), Ashton Parsons, and Scott Griffin.
Starting in the summer of 2011, work began to restore the Michigan Central Station. Over 1 Million dollars has already been invested by the owners!
Michigan Central Station was built in 1913 to replace the previous train station, which had burnt down. The Michigan Central Station, then known as Penn Central Station, has been used in several films, including:
Transformers (Michael Bay, 2006)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Michael Bay, 2011)
The Island (Michael Bay, 2005).
Naqoyqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 2002)
Four Brothers (John Singleton, 2005)
The Michgan Central Station was placed on the National Historic Registry in 1975 and the station was retired in January of 1988. Our mission now is to breath new life into the station and resurrect a landmark in the city of Detroit.