Michigan Central Station’s renovation: Before-and-after photos show dramatic change

We went back through the Free Press' photo archives to unearth old photos of Michigan Central Station — many of them showing a seriously decayed interior and exterior after years of abandonment. Then, staff photographer Mandi Wright headed inside to photograph the newly restored Detroit landmark. This series of Before and After images shows the breadth and detail of Ford's $950 million restoration that included restoration of the 30-acre campus that transformed multiple properties in and around the Corktown neighborhood.

Ceiling detail

LEFT: Ceiling detail in the Great Hall in 2015. (Jessica J. Trevino, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: Ceiling detail in the Great Hall in 2024. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

Cornice and arch

LEFT: An archway and cornice detail in 2018 shortly after Ford bought the abandoned station. (Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: The same archway and cornice detail in 2024. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

The Grand Hall

LEFT: The Grand Hall with its soaring ceilings and massive marble columns in 1999. (John Collier, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: The newly restored Grand Hall with its Guastavino tile vaulted ceiling with more than 29,000 tiles and recreated chandeliers in 2024. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

Wall graffiti

LEFT: Years of abandonment left the train station open to urban explorers who painted graffiti on interior walls of Michigan Central Station. This image is from 2018 shortly after Ford bought the building. (Ryan Garza, , Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: Ford chose to leave some of the urban art as a nod to the station's history. This corridor was photographed in May 2024. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

The concourse

LEFT: Travelers would catch the train at Michigan Central Station in the concourse before the building was closed in 1988. In 2018, the ceiling was devoid of glass. (Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: The concourse area in 2024 has a newly restored steel and glass ceiling and the graffiti was cleared from the walls. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

The carriage house

LEFT: The carriage house inside Michigan Central Station in 2018 showing the area where the train clock used to hang. (Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: In 2024, the stolen, but returned clock is now a fully restored clock and back over the ticket counter adjacent to the carriage house. An anonymous person returned the clock in 2018 shortly after Ford bought the iconic Detroit landmark. Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press

Columns adjacent to the concourse

LEFT: Columns flanking the area near the concourse area inside Michigan Central Station in 2015 were covered and graffiti and sections of the ceiling were missing. (Jessica J. Trevino, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: In 2024, fresh light fixtures, clean columns and a repaired ceiling lead into the concourse area which has a newly restored steel and glass ceiling. Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press

The concourse

LEFT: Travelers would catch the train at Michigan Central Station in the concourse before the building was closed in 1988. In 2018, the ceiling was devoid of glass. (Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: The concourse area in 2024 has a newly restored steel and glass ceiling and the graffiti was cleared from the walls. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan Central Station entrance

LEFT: In 2009, more than 20 years after Michigan Central station had closed, weather and vandals had taken its toll on the exterior of the Detroit landmark. (Susan Tusa, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: Today, the exterior of the 640,000-square-foot train station is clean and the towers' 1,184 windows restored to preserve the station’s historic appearance. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

The ticket counter

LEFT: In its heyday, millions of visitors passed through Michigan Central Station, the Beaux Arts-style building which opened in Detroit in 1913. In this photo from 1966, passengers line up at the ticket office. (Ed Haun, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: The ticket counter in 2024. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

Wall detail

LEFT: In 2018, much of the plaster work and Guastavino tiled vaulted ceiling in the Grand Hall was in serious disrepair. (Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press) RIGHT: In 2024, the vaulted ceiling containing 29,000 along with decorative plaster work has been meticulously restored or recreated. (Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press)

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Central Station renovation: Before-and-after photos