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. Our fundamental goal is to see the lower barriers to transportation to cities such as Chicago, Toronto, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, and so on create an attractive environment for business to come to Detroit and as a result improve the economic conditions of not only the city of Detroit, but the state of Michigan in general. If there is a coinciding improvement in human capital as a result of a focus on education, promotion of cutting edge research, and attracting high skilled labor then Detroit can finally make an economic transition from a manufacturing based economy to a knowledge driven economy similar to that of Pittsburgh with the collapse of the steel industry beginning in the 1970’s. Feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions, comments, or like to me more involved at JcMohyi@Gmail.com.
Project Background
Welcome to a historic event. Thousands of 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. Since then Ashton Parsons and Kristopher Kovach, former grassroots volunteers, were made members of the board of directors.
Since then, the facebook group started by Julia Goldwater & Brad Lorenzon to save the station has gone above 13,000 members. We would like to thank Julia Goldwater & Brad Lorenzon for setting up the Facebook group as well as the (Buffalo) Central Terminal Restoration Corp., the Ark Association, Summer in the City, our grassroots volunteers, Senator Brown, and our friends at the Ambassador Bridge Company for their continued support.
Michigan Central Station was built in 1913 to replace the previous train station, which had burnt down. MCS, then known as Penn Central Station, has been used in several films, including Transformers (directed by Michael Bay) in October 2006 and The Island (directed by Michael Bay). In September 2002, extensive closeups and fly-by shots were featured in the movie Naqoyqatsi. In the 2004 film Four Brothers, the movie opens with the main character driving his car along the Michigan Central Station. The MCS 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.