Perhaps no building is seen as a symbol of Detroit's struggles as much as Michigan Central Station. The face of American ruin porn, its 18-story tower makes the hollowed-out, decrepit former train station easy to find throughout the city. So some recent, and very minor, additions have locals curious.
Hollowed out and window-free for years, there are now five, yes just five, brand new windows that have been reinstalled in 2013 so far. Windows one, two and three even garnered the attention of the local media in February and March.
All five new windows on the otherwise window-free structure. Image and graphic by Mark Byrnes
Michigan Central Station in its current state. Image by Mark Byrnes
Halfway through the year, no one inside Detroit's city hall seems to know what the idea is behind these sporadic new window installations. "We've asked questions, but we've received no specific answers," says Detroit's director of city planning, Marcell Todd.
One would assume the mystery could be solved through city permit records, but according to Todd, there are no permits, even though there should be. "For that kind of work and the dollar amount that would come with it, yes, permits would be required," says Todd.
For the director of planning, the mystery seems to come as no big surprise. "We have an interesting relationship with the Morouns," he says. He and the rest of the planning department will keep waiting for an explanation from the owners, but given the current state of affairs in local government, they don't plan on handing out any fines for side-stepping city hall. "If you don't have to ruffle any feathers now, then you don't," Todd says.
Matty Moroun initially announced plans to fix up the structure in 2011, with minimal work done since. Clues to the building's realistic future may be found on its website, in a post from November titled "Everything is Coming Up Roses!!!" from Nora Moroun:
We are thrilled to see the addition of electricity and lighting. I hope you have all seen and welcomed the evening glow from the station. Work is continuously occurring in the interior to remove debris from the roof and windows in preparation to be replaced. The bids are out and we look forward to the efforts becoming more visible to all the people that have been patiently waiting!Michigan Central Station stopped serving trains in 1988 with multiple plans to redevelop the building falling through since. The Morouns have owned the building since 2001.