The History Channel and Ford Motor Co. teamed up to host an exclusive screening of "Detroit Comeback City."
The preview was held today at the Garden Theatre in Detroit. Steven Gillon spoke briefly and introduced the film to the audience.
The preview was held today at the Garden Theatre in Detroit. Steven Gillon spoke briefly and introduced the film to the audience.
The documentary focused on the role Ford and Michigan Central Station played in Detroit. Ford was a beacon that brought thousands to Detroit, usually entering through the Grand Dame herself, Michigan Central Station, a bustling station that welcomed newcomers with her grand style.
The film illustrated that as the auto industry changed, so did the city. If the automakers profits soared, Detroit shined like a diamond. But the pendulum swings both ways-- and the Great Depression, gas crisis and the Great Recession slowed the economy, highlighting how closely tied to consumer spending the Detroit area actually is.
Throughout the film, Michigan Central Station made regular appearances, tied into the storyline and woven into the film just as the Ford Motor Company was. Unlike Ford, the station didn't experience the ebbs and flows of the economy. Instead- its demise came when swarms of people fled Detroit after the '67 Riots. According to the documentary, it took residents six months to clear out. The Beaux-Arts beauty never regained consciousness and fell into disrepair. It was shuttered in 1988.
The film doesn't end there. Viewers find out that Detroit is coming back and better than ever- culminating in an announcement that Ford acquired the train station from the Moroun family.
The automaker plans to restore the structure and fill it with 2,500 employees specializing in autonomous vehicle technology. Ford estimates the station will reopen in 2022. So it will once again be back to the hustling and bustling place it was once known for.
But don't call it a comeback.
The film illustrated that as the auto industry changed, so did the city. If the automakers profits soared, Detroit shined like a diamond. But the pendulum swings both ways-- and the Great Depression, gas crisis and the Great Recession slowed the economy, highlighting how closely tied to consumer spending the Detroit area actually is.
Throughout the film, Michigan Central Station made regular appearances, tied into the storyline and woven into the film just as the Ford Motor Company was. Unlike Ford, the station didn't experience the ebbs and flows of the economy. Instead- its demise came when swarms of people fled Detroit after the '67 Riots. According to the documentary, it took residents six months to clear out. The Beaux-Arts beauty never regained consciousness and fell into disrepair. It was shuttered in 1988.
The film doesn't end there. Viewers find out that Detroit is coming back and better than ever- culminating in an announcement that Ford acquired the train station from the Moroun family.
The automaker plans to restore the structure and fill it with 2,500 employees specializing in autonomous vehicle technology. Ford estimates the station will reopen in 2022. So it will once again be back to the hustling and bustling place it was once known for.
But don't call it a comeback.
Detroit: Comeback City premieres Sunday, July 1 at 9/8c on The History Channel.
Related:
Detroit Designs the World | Detroit Public TV Screening
Michigan Central Station Open House
Ford Rouge Tour Live!
Toyota Lecture Series | Susan S. Szenasy, Metropolis Magazine
Detroit Designs the World | Detroit Public TV Screening
Michigan Central Station Open House
Ford Rouge Tour Live!
Toyota Lecture Series | Susan S. Szenasy, Metropolis Magazine
But wait--- there's more. Click below to read more:
The '67 Riots had already cleared out most of its population by the time the Recession hit in '08. Honestly, around here-- a recession in Detroit happened at least a decade or more earlier- as jobs dried up and the city streets remained desolate. Then in 2013, Detroit declared bankruptcy But really, by then- the worst was over. The city had already been rebounding and changes were visible on a daily basis. The judge just made it "official."
Then the lights came on. Street lights were installed- maybe in 2012. I just remember one day--- BAM- there was light. Bike lanes were painted on Michigan Ave. Maybe in 2009. I thought it had something to do with the new bridge. Then you weren't encouraged (by cops) to run the lights or stop signs anymore on Cass. That's when you knew things were really changing.
All the while, Michigan Central stood watch. Over her city, over the people, over the scores of homeless who set up their tents in her shadow- in Roosevelt Park.
I knew things were really changing when I saw a man running in Detroit. For fun. He was jogging on the sidewalk and I called someone to tell them what I had just seen. because I'd never seen anything like it before. Kinda like a rare animal at the zoo.
The station didn't change. Except maybe losing some of her Beaux Arts treasures she was adorned with. People took architectural pieces from her bod- but I believe it was to preserve the pieces of history. Because they knew if they didn't remove it to protect it- someone else would dismantle it and sell it to the scrapper.
And them Ford announced it had acquired the train station from the Moroun family. And now things are changing.
Since then, Ford has become the gold standard of marketing. They not only invited the public to tour their newly acquired building- but they rolled out the red carpet and extended invitations to view the documentary before it airs on Sunday.
Since then, Ford has become the gold standard of marketing. They not only invited the public to tour their newly acquired building- but they rolled out the red carpet and extended invitations to view the documentary before it airs on Sunday.
