Restored Michigan Central Station and a Church in Paris

**renf** · July-08-23, 01:07 PM

These was a discussion on this site explaining why the
lower entry way building at the Michigan Central Depot
resembles a famous church in Paris. I recall reading, I
think, that someone in the Vanderbilt family was very
impressed by the architectural design of a church in|
Paris. She or others in the Vanderbilt family may have
encouraged the architects, Stem and Read, to consider
that suggestion.

Knowing how to please those who commission them, the
architects took that suggestion seriously and so the currently
restored building resembles an impressive Parisian building.

Thank you very much for your comments.

**Gistok** · July-12-23, 04:15 AM

Well I've been to Paris several times, and have visited many of the churches there, and I have to say that while there are hundreds of churches there, I have never come across one that looks like Grand Central or Michigan Central. I'm not saying that's not true, but it must have been a lesser known church there.

**JBMcB** · July-12-23, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Well I've been to Paris several times, and have visited many of the churches there, and I have to say that while there are hundreds of churches there, I have never come across one that looks like Grand Central or Michigan Central. I'm not saying that's not true, but it must have been a lesser known church there.

It might not be there any more. There were two fairly major wars that took place in France in the interim

**Gistok** · July-12-23, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by JBMcB

It might not be there any more. There were two fairly major wars that took place in France in the interim

I understand... but somewhere there should be some reference to a particular edifice. The only thing I could find was that William Vanderbilt [grandson of the Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt] insisted on adding the architectural firm Warren & Wetmore to the building of Grand Central and Michigan Central, because his cousin Whitney Warren cofounded that architectural firm, and studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris.

I cannot find a reference to a particular building in Paris, but am still looking.

**JBMcB** · July-12-23, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

I cannot find a reference to a particular building in Paris, but am still looking.

There might not even be a picture of it. It might be also a case of someone told someone who told the author of a book that this was the case, but it wasn't really.

**Gistok** · July-12-23, 02:11 PM

Beaux Arts was the style in Paris during the beginning of the 20th Century, and the 1900 Worlds Fair there had a Petit Palais fair building [today a museum], which has end pavilions that fit the design of the MCS entrance hall exterior arched windows to a tee... including the double columns, arched windows, broken pediments... etc. This building predates Michigan Central by a dozen years...

**canuck** · July-12-23, 02:52 PM

@Gistok /

Good call!

You brought back some good memories of an exhibition of Anders Zorn paintings I saw in 2017 at the Petit Palais. Beautiful buildings, both.

**Kathleen** · July-12-23, 09:22 PM

Canuck! The Grillmaster and I saw the Anders Zorn exhibition at the Petit Palais. Zorn is quite the artist...portraitist on par with John Singer Sargent... and wonderful at capturing scenes.

I agree that the Beaux Arts style of the Petit Palais looks like inspiration for the Michigan Central Station. Thanks for the photo, Gistok! Reminds me of an evening when we strolled Paris after dark to see the buildings and monuments lit up.

**Honky Tonk** · July-12-23, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by Kathleen

Thanks for the photo, Gistok! Reminds me of an evening when we strolled Paris after dark to see the buildings and monuments lit up.

You and Gistok!?!?

**canuck** · July-13-23, 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by Kathleen

Canuck! The Grillmaster and I saw the Anders Zorn exhibition at the Petit Palais. Zorn is quite the artist...portraitist on par with John Singer Sargent... and wonderful at capturing scenes.

I agree that the Beaux Arts style of the Petit Palais looks like inspiration for the Michigan Central Station. Thanks for the photo, Gistok! Reminds me of an evening when we strolled Paris after dark to see the buildings and monuments lit up.

Yes, a great artist, and famous for his limited colour palette, [[Zorn palette) which another but contemporary scandinavian artist uses: Odd Nerdrum.

**Gistok** · July-13-23, 01:55 AM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

You and Gistok!?!?

Homey don't grill... except if it's indoors on my Forman Grill.

Kathleen's husband was the grillmaster, he rustled up some good grillin' at the old Forum Picnic's.... gawd I miss those... and some of the folks such as Sumas, Django, Gannon, and others no longer with us...

But as for Paris... what happens in Paris... stays in Paris...

**Kathleen** · July-13-23, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

You and Gistok!?!?

Thanks for the laugh! I can see that I should have been clearer in my use of "we" there!!

Thanks, Gistok, too for clarifying! Yes...the DYes picnic days of yore were a lot of fun!!

**Kathleen** · July-13-23, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by canuck

Yes, a great artist, and famous for his limited colour palette, [[Zorn palette) which another but contemporary scandinavian artist uses: Odd Nerdrum.

Thanks, Canuck, for the tip. I've never heard of Odd Nerdrum, so will check out his work.

**Honky Tonk** · July-13-23, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Kathleen

Thanks for the laugh! I can see that I should have been clearer in my use of "we" there!!

Thanks, Gistok, too for clarifying! Yes...the DYes picnic days of yore were a lot of fun!!

My apologies to Kathleen, The Grill Master, and Gistok. I was in a jovial mood last night and couldn't resist.

Glad my comment was taken as intended.

**Satiricalivory** · July-13-23, 02:39 PM

Michigan Central Station was designed off of Roman bathhouses, not a Parisian church.

**canuck** · July-13-23, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Kathleen

Thanks, Canuck, for the tip. I've never heard of Odd Nerdrum, so will check out his work.

You may find him unsettling, his stuff is pretty powerful. Weird and wonderful stuff.

**Gistok** · July-14-23, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by Satiricalivory

Michigan Central Station was designed off of Roman bathhouses, not a Parisian church.

The interior of the main waiting hall of Michigan was indeed based on the design and decorations of Roman Baths, but the exterior was based on French Beaux Arts buildings of the early 20th Century.

**Ray1936** · July-14-23, 05:43 PM

May have mentioned this before, so forgive me if I ramble on with things already said.

September, 1959. Graduated from the Detroit Police Academy and was assinged to the 2nd [[Vernor) Precinct. As a young rookie, I could only look forward to beat walking for the first three or four years 'on the job'. No big deal, although some beat areas were pretty miserable on nights when there was no hot coffee available anywher. Anyway, Beat #1 was the Michigan Central Depot. It was a good beat, especially on a cold, rainy night, since you were basically inside most of the shift. Oh, you were supposed to patrol Roosevelt Park in front of the station, but the Sergeants never seemed to check up on you.

Inside the main lobby, on the left as you entered, was a police call box, like the one pictured below. It had a specific number, and you better not try to call in from some other box along Michigan avenue. There was also a room to the left front of the entrance that was for police officers. If you had Beat 1 [[MCD), chances you were in there most of the time during crappy weather.

One would just roam about the cavernous depot and keep one's eyes open for a lost juvenile or someone who just didn't look like they belonged there. Actually, the number one priority of most officers who got that assignment for the day was to get through the eight hours and go home.

I never did come across any person with a problem in my days assigned there, but I did get to explore the building and the track numbers behind it in depth, and I treasure every moment. All the train people were just great to us police officers wandering here and there, and to my dying day, if someone tells he he worked on the railroad, I'll take him/her to lunch in a heartbeat.

I also remember a half dozen times when a cattle car just west of the depot had cattle escape in the area of old Western Market, and the dumbest bunch of coppers [[like me!) tried to round them up.

God almighty, thank you for the magnificent memories you have left me with:

**stromberg2** · July-20-23, 10:08 PM

Man I wish we could do a picnic again.

Stromberg 2....hint hint....

**Jimaz** · August-12-23, 06:22 AM

We don't often get a view of the roof. It's surprisingly clean!

Roosevelt Park And Michigan Central Station

**Gistok** · August-14-23, 08:32 AM

The newly restored main entrance to Michigan Central looks wonderful!!!

Does anyone know if a power wash of the stone is planned, or if this is the final look of the Great Hall building facade?

Image: Dan Austin

**Burnsie** · August-14-23, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

The newly restored main entrance to Michigan Central looks wonderful!!!

Does anyone know if a power wash of the stone is planned, or if this is the final look of the Great Hall building facade?

Image: Dan Austin

I messaged Ford's MC Facebook page with that question, but only received a "stay tuned to our page for all restoration updates!" response. Seems odd they wouldn't do a power washing, small change compared to the hundreds of millions that have already been spent. Maybe it'll be done at the last minute prior to the grand reopening. The look of it would be a brilliant near-white after washing.