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The Michigan Central Station (MCS) has captured hearts and imaginations since the colossal structure was built in 1913. Constructed by the same company who erected the New York central station, its Beaux-Arts architectural style possess a rare beauty that not only has been an escape for many young photographers and urban explorers, but has also been featured in several films including Transformers (October 2006), The Island (January 2005), Naqoyqatsi (September 2002), and Four Brothers (2004). Just recently popular Rap artist Eminem shot a significant portion of his music video for beautiful inside the MCS.
The MCS was placed on the National Historic Registry in 1975 and the station was retired in January of 1988. After being vacent for roughly 21 years the environment has taken its toll on the MCS. Many plans to utilize the station came and went but it was not until April 7th, 2009, when the Detroit City Council voted for an expedited demolition of the Michigan Central Station that a massive grass roots campaign to save the building was sparked. Shortly after, a Detroit resident filed suit against the city citing the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 which effectively crippled the Cities efforts.
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. Since then volunteers have eliminated nearly three dumpsters worth of debris, planted over 1,000 flowers, and inspired a sense of hope in the heart of Detroit.
In addition to saving the Michigan Central Station itself I am in the process of creating a proposal for a state of the art high speed train for the MCS. From my understanding the MCS is the only place in North America where five separate railroad tracks come together. This would make it ground central in the American high-speed train effort. The first project should be to connect Detroit with Chicago. From there we can expand to Toronto (which is made more attractive considering the Detroit International Bridge Co. already owns the bridge and can easily accommodate high-speed train tracks given the early stages of construction on the second bridge), Ann Arbor, Lansing, New York, and Washington D.C..
I believe the Michigan Central Station can become ground zero in not only revitalizing Detroit, but the state of Michigan. I attached some photos to give you an idea of how much we have accomplished and what we need to do. Also if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me at any time.
P.S. Make sure to visit:
The Facebook Group with nearly 13,000 members http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=178565380054&ref=ts
The Facebook Event to see some uploaded Pics http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110409982845
This well done blog of the effort http://www.cruzweb.net/2009/07/04/extreme-makeover-depot-edition/
and last but not least http://summerinthecitydetroit.org/pictures
Best Regards,
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John Mohyi
JcMohyi@Gmail.com
Tags: michigan central station mcs john mohyi www.savemichigancentral.com detroit high speed rail train
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