Ford Motor Company Continues Restoration of Michigan Central Station
A New-York based architectural firm will update more than 56,000 square feet of plasterwork in the old train station over the course of 18 months.
Ford Motor Company is continuing its renovations to the Michigan Central Depot in Corktown. The auto-maker has hired New-York based EverGreene Architectural Arts to update more than 56,000 square feet of plasterwork, an 18-month project that’s the next step in creating Ford’s future mobility hub.
Richard Bardelli, Construction Manager for Michigan Central Development project, says the historic renovations have already begun. “They started the process almost a year ago, when EverGreene came in and started taking pieces of the plaster down so that they can create molds of the areas that we put in pieces that we needed to replicate.”
More than 3,000 ornate medallions, coffers and rosettes will be restored. Bardelli says the restorations are expected to seamlessly blend 1900s architecture with modern-day functionality.
“The beauty of it, and really what we’ve been focused on, is the historic restoration of the building… That exact grandeur, the artistry of the plaster, will all be brought forward from when it was originally built,” says Bardelli.
Bardelli says the overall goal is to keep the charm and historic feel of the Corktown area alive. “(We’re making sure) we understand what Corktown means and this history around architecture and feel for this community because it is the oldest community in Detroit. We want to make sure that we take all of that into account when we’re talking with the community and how we move forward.”
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