Around the Nation
Lost items returned to Michigan rail station.
After the return of a stolen clock, callers from throughout the Midwest say they have historic artifacts from the now-vacant, graffiti-covered Michigan Central Station and want to return the lost items to Ford.
“This is like no other process I’ve ever seen,” said Dave Dubensky, chairman and CEO of Ford Land. “We’ve touched the community in such a way that it compels them to call us and offer things back and even offer money.”
He continued, “One individual offered a plaster medallion of flowers original to the train depot. We’ve had multiple calls about lights, and another individual that has an original fountain from the depot.”
After about two dozen calls involving recovery and refurbishment, Ford is compiling a list of items that might be returned and planning to validate authenticity.
Not all calls involve returning stolen property. Experts in architectural restoration have also reached out in an effort to help.
The 18-story Beaux arts structure, which opened in 1913 and closed in 1988, is no longer a symbol of Detroit’s demise but, rather, its resurrection.
Ford announced its purchase of the building this month for an undisclosed amount with plans to restore the magnificent building and house workers, lease space to venture capitalists and develop luxury lofts. Ford hopes everything will be finished by 2022.
The depot will be the hub of an advanced automotive research campus employing 2,500 Ford workers and transforming Corktown, Detroit’s oldest surviving neighborhood.
Ford has assembled a “wish list” of items taken from the depot over the 30 years it was vacant, including light fixtures, the clock that hung above the ticket window, ticket window grills, elevator transom panels and decorative ornaments surrounding the large steel windows.
“Lighting is our No. 1 request,” Dubensky said. “There are many missing historic elements that tell the story.”
He urged the public to come forward with missing items, no questions asked, and call his assistant Donnell Elwood, who can be reached at 313-322-1092.
A stolen clock returned this month was left for Ford with instructions to go to an abandoned lot two miles from the train station. Calls are coming from the metro Detroit area, Ann Arbor and Bay City, Michigan, Chicago and Ohio.