A Vision of Beauty

            From a bustling hub of activity during the era of World War II to a derelict structure abandoned for about 30 years, Michigan Central Station has recently sprung back to life.

“You have to go down and see it,” urged our friends from the NEXT Senior Center writers’ group. “You won’t believe it.”

 The enthusiasm of our friends, along with Al’s love of trains motivated us to travel to the newly renovated MCS with its thirteen-story tower one Saturday morning. There must have been over a hundred people in line waiting to enter the first floor of the building, the only floor open to the public. 

Once inside, volunteers pointed the way to a side room where we viewed an impressive video of the past, present and future of the property now owned by the Ford Motor Company. Bill Ford, Executive Chair, is the great-grandson of Henry Ford who transformed Detroit with his automotive assembly lines and affordable cars.

 MCS became the hub for people moving from east to west to find new opportunities and places to call home. During WWII  servicemen and equipment were transported through the station to various bases around the country.

Celia, our friend and longtime member of the group, took the train to Fort Knox, Kentucky to visit her fiancé who was in the service during the Korean War. She was all dressed up when she left, but was hot and had swollen feet from her high heels by the time she arrived in Kentucky! She hardly remembers the station, being excited about seeing the man at the end of the line!

When the automobile replaced the train for easy travel, the number of travelers by rail was drastically reduced. Amtrak eventually bought the historic station, but then closed it down in 1988, constructing a smaller station that was closer to the city.

We were told that the room with the enormous video screen was originally the ladies’ waiting room where the women could avoid cigarette smoke and feel reasonably safe. It was at one end of the station, and the men’s waiting room was at the other.

From there Al and I were ushered into the stunning Grand Hall. What a transformation! I asked a woman standing beside me what she stood out the most to her.

“The thing that stands out the most to me is the continuation of the renaissance of Detroit!” she responded, adding that this was her third visit.

From 1988 to 2018, the building was vandalized, its walls covered with graffiti, and windows broken. During the six years of restoration after being purchased by Ford, water had to be drained from the basement; grime cleaned on the outside and inside; and new limestone brought in from a defunct quarry in Minnesota.  

 There were many incredible stories involving the renaissance—rebirth—of Michigan Central Station. It was interesting to learn that an expert woodcarver from eastern Europe replicated the clock that once hung above the ticket counter with only a fragment of its frame and the help of old photographs.

“The world saw decay; we saw the opportunity for renewal. The possibilities are endless.” (A quote from the video made by Ford Motor company.) The vision now is to use the newly restored building as the center of many areas of innovation in the transportation industry.

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John shared his vision of a new creation, a new order and a new Jerusalem, whose inhabitants have been transformed through faith in Jesus Christ. It will be a stunning transformation, one that I can hardly wait to see.

And how about you?

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 

 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” Revelation 21:1-4 NIV