Ford Could Buy, Redevelop Michigan Central Station

DETROIT, MI — Ford is looking into buying the Michigan Central Station in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood for an expansion, media outlets reported Monday. Sources say talks are ongoing, though no deals have been officially made. The dilapidated station has been out of service since 1988 and a redevelopment would be a significant move in the city’s resurgence.

If the move is made, it would carry on the momentum of the automaker’s recent decision to buy and restore an old pantyhouse factory in the area for more than 200 members of it’s self-driving and electric vehicle team, “Team Edison,” The Detroit Free Press reported. Any redevelopment would likely seek millions of dollars in tax incentives, Crain’s Detroit Business reported. Michael Samhat, president of the Morouns' Warren-based Crown Enterprises, told Crain’s there is not a deal imminent to redevelop the train station.

"We're always working to bring an opportunity to the train station," Samhat told Crain's on Monday. "When we do get a serious entity looking at it, those are details we don't share. At this time, we don't have any deal to report."

Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel (Matty) Moroun bought the old train station out of tax foreclosure in 1995, according to The Free Press. Under pressure from the city, the Moroun family recently installed more than 1,000 windows to the station's tower, restored a working elevator and cleaned up the interior.

>>> Read the full story on The Detroit Free Press

>>> Read the full story on Crain’s Detroit Business

Photo by Jessica Strachan/Patch