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DETROIT – More than three decades after the last train left Michigan Central Station, the building’s ornate interior will soon look as its creators envisioned more than a century ago.
Ford Motor Company has brought on EverGreene Architectural Arts, one of the largest specialty contractors in the U.S., with a lengthy résumé of restoring historic buildings, to revive the grandest areas of the train depot, including the main waiting area, arcade, ticket lobby and restaurant.
The New York City-based company will replicate and restore approximately 56,000 square feet of decorative plasterwork. A distinguishing feature of the station’s Beaux Arts architecture is the plaster, which covers most of the building’s first floor and was made to look like stone, a cost-saving measure at the time of construction. Evergreene will preserve and clean what original plaster material can be saved and re-create new portions where needed.
The 18-month project will use three plaster techniques – traditional three-coat plaster, ornamental plaster and veneer plaster – and will require replicating more than 3,000 cast plaster pieces, including the coffers, medallions and rosettes that adorn the waiting room’s walls and ceilings. The work will be choreographed in a way that creates a seamless transition of old and new in the areas most visible to visitors.
Austin Giesey, project manager for Christman-Brinker, the construction team leading the Michigan Central Station restoration project, says the effect when it’s finished will be “jaw dropping.”
“The original architects used every plaster craft available to them to create the station’s impressive public spaces,” said Giesey. “People don’t realize just how much detail has been lost over the past 30 years. When we’re finished with these spaces, they will look phenomenal. You will walk in and see a grand expanse of stonelike plaster that will look exactly like the original concept. It’s really going to be amazing.”
Craftsmanship and preservation
While ornamental plaster is far less common in new buildings than it was in the early 1900s, the skilled tradespeople at Michigan Central Station will be able to preserve and re-create the faux stone appearance just as the original architects intended. While some digital tools will be used, a team of 15 to 20 craftspeople from EverGreene will do most of the plasterwork by hand using floor-to-ceiling scaffolding.
EverGreene has been part of Detroit’s comeback for more than two decades, having contributed to projects at Orchestra Hall, Detroit Public Library, Detroit Institute of Arts and the Fisher Building. The company has also performed plaster and decorative painting work on the Michigan State Capitol building. The firm is familiar with train station revivals, having worked on restoration projects for New York City’s Grand Central Station and Union Station in Los Angeles, as well as depots in Seattle, Cincinnati and Sacramento.
Jeff Greene, executive chairman and founder of EverGreene, said Michigan Central Station is an extraordinary, well-made building whose renovation will attract national attention when it reopens.
“To play even a small role in the transformation of this iconic building is incredible,” said Greene. “There’s a lot of gratification, not only in the craft and what we do with our hands, but the act of elegantly preserving something that means so much to this city. A project of this scale will reverberate on the national stage.”
Greene noted that buildings like Michigan Central Station contribute to the city’s collective source of memories and create a sense of place. “When we bring life back to these buildings, they can have a huge impact on the neighborhood and the community,” he said. “People identify with a physical environment, it’s a repository for memories. Michigan Central Station was and will be again a central place in what makes up the personality of Detroit.”
EverGreene will attempt to salvage and repurpose as much of the original building material as possible. The original plaster was created to simulate the stone found throughout the building, some of which still remains despite decades of weathering. The remnants will be used as a template for the new plaster.
Ford embarked on the years-long preservation project after purchasing Michigan Central Station in 2018. The plasterwork is taking place at the same time as extensive repairs to the Guastavino vaulted ceiling in the waiting room. The impressive ceiling features 22,000 square feet of clay tiles covering three self-supporting arches. The next phase of interior restoration will involve bringing new piping, floors, plumbing and electricals to the building and finishing structural repairs. Construction is on track to be complete by the end of 2022.
Michigan Central Station is set to become the centerpiece of Ford’s new 30-acre mobility innovation district in Corktown that will help define the way people and goods move around in the future. The station will be open to the public with locally inspired restaurants, shops, hospitality services and public amenities, in addition to modern office spaces for Ford employees and the company’s innovation partners.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty. Ford develops and delivers innovative, must-have Ford trucks, sport utility vehicles, commercial vans and cars and Lincoln luxury vehicles, along with connected services. The company does that through three customer-centered business segments: Ford Blue, engineering iconic gas-powered and hybrid vehicles; Ford Model e, inventing breakthrough electric vehicles along with embedded software that defines exceptional digital experiences for all customers; and Ford Pro, helping commercial customers transform and expand their businesses with vehicles and services tailored to their needs. Additionally, Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 174,000 people worldwide. More information about the company and its products and services is available at corporate.ford.com.
EverGreene Architectural Arts is one of the largest specialty contractors in the United States. Established in 1978, EverGreene has offices in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. EverGreene's mission is to be recognized as the standard for creating, preserving, and enhancing architectural arts, artifacts, and the built environment, around the world. They believe that architectural arts––murals, fine art, finishes, and decorative architectural details in plaster, stone, and metal––enrich our environments and our lives. EverGreene has provided conservation and restoration services for hundreds of projects across the United States, including countless buildings registered with the National Historic Landmarks.