This is a picture of Michigan Central Station in Detroit, MI USA. It is considered one of the greatest urban ruins in the country. In fact this building is what first got me interested in photography.
© Chris Horner
This building has a presence like no other. In person it’s powerful. Built in 1913 at a cost of over $15 million, it was created to make a statement – an 18 story monument. It was modeled in a classic beaux-arts neoclassical style, and has the distinction of being designed by the same firm that created Grand Central Station in New York City. Millions traveled through here, and it sits just a mile or so across from the busiest border crossing in the USA – the Ambassador Bridge that leads to Canada.
Anticipating future growth and aided by streetcar service, it was placed just outside of the downtown Detroit area. However, the expected expansion never took place. One of the casualties of the Great Depression in the 1930’s was the streetcar service to the station. All of a sudden, MCS was cut off. Thus a slow, painful death ensued for this magnificent building that stretched for decades. In 1988 MCS was shut down for good. From then on the only visitors to MCS would be scavengers and curiousity seekers.
The first time I really paid attention to this building was seeing it from the highway at night one cold, winter evening on the way to take my family to dinner. It stood like a dark monolith against the urban sky. I asked my wife, an architect with an interest in historical buildings, “What is that??” She explained a little bit of the history to me. After dinner we drove up to it and I just stood staring in utter amazement. A lone streetlight illuminated the front, the only thing breaking up the deep darkness from within. How could a building this magnificent be allowed to deteriorate into a condition like this? I knew I wanted to get a picture for myself.
A couple of months later I came back, after learning how to set a camera to take night photos. The results were not good. I quickly learned that there’s far more to getting a picture than just setting up and pushing the shutter. Obviously I had a lot to learn. That was back in 2007.
Over the course of several years, this became my favorite spot to shoot. Still, finding a way to create an image that made a statement as strong as visiting the building in person was proving elusive. I tried many times. Finally, in January 2011 I captured the image in this article. I titled it Forlorn. It was one I was finally satisfied with. From this angle, it looks alone and abandoned – even though downtown is only a mile behind me. The cold, grey Michigan winter day and featureless sky matches the mood of the building perfectly. The beaten down snow and slush add to the cold feeling emitting from inside MCS. By this point in time, SAVE THE DEPOT had been spray painted on the top of the station. It was a culmination of perfect circumstances and many lessons learned from previous failed attempts.
© Chris Horner
Many plans have come and gone to restore MCS to its former beauty. Currently some renovation work is underway. It’s interesting to notice how the rise and fall of MCS has so perfectly aligned with the city it sits in. It would be a shame to completely let this building go. It was created in a time and with details unlike anything you’ll find today.
Below is a link to other pictures I’ve taken at MCS. You can see some of the inside as well – and more reasons why this building is incredible. You’ll also find other articles on my website with more specific information about MCS. It has, by far, been my favorite photo subject. Enjoy.
Chris Horner is an award winning freelance photographer based in Charlotte, NC who specializes in fine art prints and commercial photography.
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lensartwork/sets/72157617220524223/
8 Comments
Chris – I can completely understand your attraction to this amazing architectural wonder! It makes me want to cry to think that it has fallen into such cruel dis-use. You have captured so well the magnificence of the structure. Thank you for sharing.
Lovely image I really like architecture in photography it can be so bold…
Hope they save the building could be good as a hotel looking at the size of it?
Amazing pics. There’s something about abandoned buildings that have a certain eerie presence.
Thanks a ton for being our mentor on this area. My partner and I enjoyed your article very much. Thank you.
Thank you both for the kind comments.
As far as the redevelopment plans go, a lot of ideas have come and gone. One idea was to use it as the Detroit police headquarters. It’s rumored that the casinos considered it when they came to Detroit. The problem is, to rehab the building is conservatively estimated at $100-$300 million. No one is going to make that kind of investment without a way to get a return on that kind of money. Right now it’s hard to make a business case for it. And because it was built extremely sturdy to deal with the rumbling of trains for decades you can’t demo it with traditional methods. It would literally have to be taken down brick by brick. That method is still tens of millions.
So, no financial reason to rehab it, no financial reason to take it down. And here it is. I’d love to see it saved and restored, yet I also understand the financial concerns make it a significant challenge. And it really is too bad for so many reasons. Hopefully there will be enough of a turnaround where one day this level of investment will make sense.
amazing shot great stuff
Great photos – you can almost hear echoes from all the people that have passed through there over the years. Sad to see a great building like that rotting away.
What a magnificent presence you captured. I truly hope the building is kept as part of the heritage and culture. Great story!