Sunday, August 30, 2009

A Magnificent Place To Wait For A Train


When we came across this building during our exploration of Detroit this weekend, it stopped me dead in my tracks. Ed was driving and I begged him to circle back and drive past it. I wasn't planning on getting out of the truck, but I just had to see it closer up.

As we approached, my mind was racing. What is it? What was it? It was palatial. Right away it reminded me of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. It loomed. It looked like a grand hotel. At the very top it had letters placed on each window divider that spelled out, "Save The Depot".

After Googling, I found that it was the Michigan Central Depot. You have to check out that link; there are some fantastic pictures of not only this, but other forgotten buildings in Detroit. You can read even more about the Depot here.



We come across a lot of abandoned places around the country and I can't help thinking about what they were like in their heyday and I'm always a little sad to know they're no longer part of a community. Letting a place like this deteriorate is such a crime. With WalMarts and strip malls being built on every corner, making this entire country look the same town after town, it's really a shame that someone, anyone doesn't step in to bring a place like this back to its glory.

I know it takes money but there are a lot of people out there with just the kind of money needed to do it. Instead, it becomes a place for vandals and thieves. What was once a place of bustling activity, a meeting place for many, a crossroads of a city if you will, just gets tossed away. Pity.

I took several more pictures than what I posted here, but I only got exterior shots since the place was fenced off and didn't look too safe for explorers. But you can take a look at
this and see many other shots of the interior as people worked to clean it up.

I think I want to live there. There's plenty of room to park a truck...

Inside.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO:
37 Going On 20
2 YEARS AGO:
Nostalgia
3 YEARS AGO:
The Hills Are Alive…Or Are They?
4 YEARS AGO:
Old Blue Eyes Was Right When He Said It Was A Very Good Year

2 comments:

Gil said...

I really think that it is a shame the way historic buildings and places are treated in the USA. I bet if this station was even in a small European city it would be in pristine condition. Here we just let property deteriorate and if needed build new. You see it with schools and other municipal buildings all over the US. The only reason for this is that I guess we have a lot of vacant land.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this. Had never heard of the depot. It's beautiful; hope they are able to save it and adaptively reuse it. These remarkable old buildings give one a sense of place that is disappearing.

Belledog