Michigan Central Station To Become A Ford Innovation Campus

Ford Motor Co. has filed to trademark "Michigan Central Station," the derelict Detroit train station the carmaker acquired four years ago with hopes of turning it into an "innovation hub."

Ford has invested $740 million refurbishing the 108-year-old facility and surrounding 30-acre campus. The automaker has teamed up with Google to develop autonomous vehicle operating systems, with the research and development taking place at Michigan Central Station. The new facility is expected to open in 2023.

"Michigan Central Station is a powerful symbol of Detroit's struggles and now its resurgence," Bill Ford, the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, said in 2018.

Over 5,000 workers are expected to be employed at Michigan Central once the project is completed. Students will be offered coding classes, among other resources.

"We aren't just making a bet on Detroit," continued Ford. "We are making a big bet on the future for Ford and the future of transportation."

Mary Culler, Ford Fund president and Ford's Detroit development director, explained that the project is "about preparing Ford for another century of innovation and success." The company is taking a collaborative approach to innovation, including providing flexible workspaces that attract and engage the best minds to solve complex transportation and related challenges as we shape the future of mobility together."

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has pledged an additional $126 million for the development of the Michigan Central Innovation District. This additional investment aims to build a community that will become a "recognized hub for talent, mobility innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, affordable housing, small business opportunities and community engagement."

The four pillars that will be focused on are economic development, workforce development, community development and transportation innovation zone. All of these pillars align with the goals that Ford Motor Company already had in mind when breaking ground at Michigan Central Station.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan explained that the "train station was our city's international symbol of abandonment" before Ford Motor Company decided to revitalize the station and turn it into an innovation campus. With that change, the train station has become not only a symbol of the future but of hope for the city of Detroit.

Duggan added that "for more than a century, Detroit has been the leader in automotive innovation and today marks a major step forward in keeping Detroit at the forefront of mobility innovation for the next century."