Feeling antsy to see Michigan Central Station鈥檚 interior facelift before the open house June 7-16? You can 鈥 from the comfort of your own home 鈥 with this virtual tour, which includes 3D photography of the former train station鈥檚 updated Grand Hall, waiting room/restaurant, and concourse. While 糖心vlog安卓版 Detroit is ready to marvel at the structure in-person, this virtual tour does justice in capturing the splendor, and provides fascinating insight into the restoration process.
Here are five details we enjoyed learning about while touring the station virtually:
Divots in the Marble Floor
The main hall鈥檚 restored marbled floor, originally from 1913, still has divots, created by a collective 75 years鈥 worth of passengers to arrive. The restoration team intentionally left the divots as 鈥渁 way to preserve part of The Station鈥檚 past life and the footsteps of the many Detroiters who walked these floors before us.鈥
The Graffiti Hall
Graffiti is certainly part of the story at Michigan Central Station, which closed in 1988 鈥 the walls were spray-painted over many times while it was abandoned. As part of the restoration, some of the original graffiti was examined by 鈥渋nternational experts鈥 and saved. You can take a look at it and .
The Recreated Ram鈥檚 Heads
The Reading Room in Michigan Central Station鈥檚 restaurant/waiting room area features ram鈥檚 head trims. The originals were all missing by the time Ford Motor Co. purchased the building in 2008. The restoration team through photographs, and tracked down a private collector who lent them a missing piece. From there, they 3D-printed a prototype to cast new ones in plaster.
The Plaster Medallions
The coffer medallions, 55 feet from the floor in the Grand Hall entrance are plaster too 鈥 the restoration team recreated the missing ones this way in order to be faithful to the original design. They were originally painted to resemble stone 鈥 plaster was used as a lighter, cheaper alternative to the material.
听The Massive Chandeliers
By 2008, the original cast iron chandeliers in Michigan Central Station were all missing. The restoration team created new ones from the original construction drawings, combined with historical photos. Each weigh 2,700, and with modern, energy-efficient lighting (unlike the originals).
After the June 7-16 open house; the first floor will remain open for self-guided tours听 from June 21 through the end of Aug. 31 Fridays 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit
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