{"id":2022786,"date":"2018-06-20T07:53:16","date_gmt":"2018-06-20T13:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csengineermaga.wpengine.com\/?p=2022786"},"modified":"2018-06-20T07:53:16","modified_gmt":"2018-06-20T13:53:16","slug":"ford-acquires-abandoned-michigan-central-station-as-centerpiece-of-new-detroit-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/ford-acquires-abandoned-michigan-central-station-as-centerpiece-of-new-detroit-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford acquires abandoned Michigan Central Station as centerpiece of new Detroit campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Detroit \u2014 Ford\u2019s Highland Park plant helped create America\u2019s middle class. At Willow Run, Ford workers built the planes and tanks that helped win World War II, setting the stage for American prosperity. Generations of families have worked at the 100-year-old Rouge factory, putting the world on wheels and helping grow the middle class.<\/p>\n

Now, as the company ushers in its next era, Ford adds Detroit\u2019s Corktown neighborhood to that transformative list. The new Corktown campus will be a hub where Ford and its partners will work on autonomous and electric vehicles, and design urban mobility services and solutions that includes smart, connected vehicles, roads, parking and public transit.<\/p>\n

In a week in which the company celebrated its 115th anniversary, Ford announced the acquisition of Michigan Central Station. Ford employees, city and state officials, Corktown residents and Detroit civic leaders attended the ceremony at the iconic former train station.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichigan Central Station is a place that in many ways tells the story of Detroit over the past century,\u201d said Bill Ford, the company\u2019s executive chairman. \u201cWe at Ford want to help write the next chapter, working together in Corktown with the best startups, the smartest talent, and the thinkers, engineers, and problem-solvers who see things differently \u2013 all to shape the future of mobility and transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The acquisition of Michigan Central Station comes alongside the company\u2019s purchase of the former Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, two acres of vacant land, the site of an old brass factory and the recent purchase of a refurbished former factory in Corktown, now home to Ford\u2019s electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle business teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Rouge was to Ford in the industrial age, Corktown can be for Ford in the information age,\u201d said Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett. \u201cIt will be the proving ground where Ford and our partners design and test the services and solutions for the way people are going to live and get around tomorrow, creating a Southeast Michigan mobility corridor that spans west from Dearborn to Ann Arbor, and east to Detroit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ford plans to have at least 1.2 million square feet of space in Corktown, three-quarters of which will be split between the company and its partners. Approximately 2,500 Ford employees, most from the mobility team, who will call Corktown their work home by 2022 \u2013 with space to accommodate 2,500 additional employees of partners and other businesses. The remaining 300,000 square feet will serve as a mix of community and retail space, and residential housing. This project is supported by our strong partnership with state and local government officials.<\/p>\n

Development of Michigan Central Station and other Corktown locations is critical to Ford\u2019s future as the company continues learning how urban areas are changing and the role transportation plays in revitalizing cities. Being in the heart of America\u2019s comeback city will help attract talent, startups and engineers that want to address these issues with Ford.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Ford is continuing with its Dearborn Campus Transformation plan that started in 2016. This summer the 150,000-square-foot Wagner Place development in West Dearborn is on track to open, as is a new driving dynamics lab located on Ford\u2019s Product Development Campus. The 10-year Dearborn plan will also continue to bring key work groups closer together, including the company\u2019s product development teams to one campus.<\/p>\n

Preparing smart vehicles <\/strong><\/p>\n

As cities cope with booming populations, aging infrastructure and new technology, the way people move is changing rapidly. Rather than simply integrating new technology into an aging transportation system, Ford\u2019s vision includes a fresh approach for how the overall transportation system can benefit from new ideas that help people lead better and more productive lives.<\/p>\n

The future of transportation requires more than new vehicles \u2013 or even self-driving vehicles. It requires smart vehicles that can communicate with an increasingly smart and connected world. That\u2019s why Ford is developing a Transportation Mobility Cloud \u2013 an open platform that manages information flow and transactions between different services \u2013 to help cities optimize their various modes of transit. The company is also committed to ensuring vehicles can communicate with tech-enabled surroundings to reduce CO2, lower congestion, and improve safety.<\/p>\n

In Corktown, Ford\u2019s efforts can come together in an urban environment, proving-out technology in the same environment where new ideas must be applied. This campus has the potential to help return Detroit to being the \u201cmobility capital of the world\u201d \u2013 shaping the future of transportation for the better.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be the kind of campus where the emerging economy thrives \u2013 a collaborative ecosystem of companies, educators, investors, and innovators,\u201d Hackett said. \u201cThis is where part of our team will live and work as a part of this community, alongside the customers and neighbors whose lives we\u2019re trying to make better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working for the community<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Ford\u2019s Corktown investments are crucial to the company\u2019s long-tern planning, it is also represents a commitment to the city of Detroit and its future, with Michigan Central Station envisioned as a beacon of development and opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ford\u2019s plans for the station to include restoration of the grand hall to its original luster; attraction of local shops and restaurants; and creating new residential options in the up-and-coming neighborhood. The station will serve as a public space for people to enjoy, with more details to come in the future. Ford is committed to working with Corktown residents and businesses to make certain its development efforts align with the historic nature of the community and complement other planned developments to revitalize the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as Dearborn does, Corktown holds a special place in my heart,\u201d said Bill Ford. \u201cHenry Ford was the son of an immigrant. His father, William Ford, came over from Cork during Ireland\u2019s potato famine. And Corktown was a destination for immigrants like him who came here with little more than hope. It was a place where you could reimagine what\u2019s possible. That\u2019s what we want to do all over again, right here in Corktown \u2013 to build tomorrow, together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ford thanked the Moroun family, the long-time owners of Michigan Central Station, for their support in making this project possible.<\/p>\n

Michigan Central Station, designed by the same architects that designed New York\u2019s Grand Central Station, was the main intercity passenger rail depot in Detroit. Built for the Michigan Central Railroad, it replaced the original depot in downtown Detroit, which was shuttered after a major fire in December 1913. Formally dedicated on Jan. 4, 1914, the station remained open for business until the cessation of Amtrak service on Jan. 6, 1988. With a train depot and 13-story office tower with a roof height of 230 feet, it was the world\u2019s tallest rail station when constructed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ford acquired the long-abandoned Michigan Central Station with plans to restore the grand hall to its original luster to attract local shops and restaurants and create new residential options in the up-and-coming Corktown neighborhood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4085,"featured_media":2022787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2837,1853],"tags":[6707,740,6706,6705,1720],"acf":[],"views":9,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Ford-MCS-750.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2022786"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4085"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2022786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2022786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2022787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2022786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2022786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csengineermag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2022786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}