Hotel eyed for top floors of Michigan Central Station

[Airforceguy]

Hotel eyed for top floors of Michigan Central Station

Want to book a night at Michigan Central Station?


That might become an option.


Ford wants a zoning change for its landmark building off Michigan Avenue in Detroit that would allow for future hotel operations there.
A spokesman for Michigan Central, the Ford subsidiary in charge of the former train depot's redevelopment, said Monday that it is seeking a change to the site's zoning from its current heavy industrial use, which doesn't permit hotels.


The potential hotel would go in the top two or three floors of the nearly rehabbed building, according to spokesman Dan Austin, who said that further details — including the brand of hotel — could be announced in the future. The proposed zone change was first reported by the Detroit Metro Times.


The tower in Michigan Central Station rises 15 stories above ground level and was originally built in the 1910s to hold offices, although many floors stayed vacant for lack of tenants.


Ford bought the old depot in 2018 to become the centerpiece of its new Detroit mobility campus, which is an open platform campus for dozens of various companies and startups — most of them unrelated to Ford Motor Co.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...l/72399435007/

[Gistok]

I had once heard that nothing above the 9th floor was ever occupied in the MCS tower. Anyway... it would be great to have a hotel in the top 3 floors. I imagine it would likely be for longer term type residents... there for work related reasons... since the hotel won't exactly be a pool and ballroom type hotel. Just assuming that.

It would make the building not be a ghost town after 5PM with a hotel attached.

[Dino]

I imagine the views from those upper floors are awesome. Not the typical "Downtown Detroit" views, but slightly aside from downtown. The Ambassador and Howe Bridges. St Anne's. A towering view over Corktown and Mexicantown. A great view of downtown itself, the MGM Grand and Motor City Casinos, the exciting new development at and around the old ballpark. And all within walking distance of Slows Ribs? Where can i call for reservations?

[Gistok]

Yes... the views from the upper floors of MCS will be amazing...

[401don]

Seems odd that it was changed to industrial. It was previously a train station/office tower and never used for industrial after abandonment. Was this to permit someone to purchase the site for industrial use and did Maroun request the change?

[Dino]

And the old ROOSEVELT Hotel was right there for the longest time too. Was the zoning different between the short distance from the station and where the hotel was?

[angry_fred]

Zoning likely didn't exist [[at least not in its modern form) when the train station and Roosevelt hotel were built.

When the city rolled out zoning for the first time they probably just slapped "industrial" on it and nobody cared because it didn't affect anyone who was already there

[Dino]

Makes perfect sense. Thanks!

[Gistok]

Here is a floor plan to a MCS tower floor. These seem ideally suited for hotel use.

[Lowell]

Makes me wonder if they accommodated for that when the did the reno. It would seem to be a challenge to place plumbing for bathroom and shower for all those rooms.

[Richard]

It’s a challenge but alot of post industrial buildings are converted,that’s what makes them fun.

Even new construction commercial large office building complex’s by me are being converted into hotels and housing,building that once provided a workplace for 1000s of employees.

If you think about it and all the international publicity that building has received,as a hotel it will have instant name recognition verses building a new hotel in the city that may never even be on one’s radar.

As a tourist visiting the city MTS and the Book Cadillac would be first on my list as a place to stay.

The historic hotel that I was involved in the restoration where I am at was just sold to Hyatt Hotels for a lot of $,stupid money,and they are pumping millions more into it,so the trend towards people staying in that type of experience must be gravitation towards that,because it would have probably just been cheaper to build a new one.

[Gistok]

It will be really interesting to see the conversion of the Fox Theatre Building from office space to hotel space. The Fox Theatre literally cuts the 2 halves of the current office space into 2 parts [on the first 6 floors] due to the tall theatre lobby. The only way to get from the south side of the building [where the elevators are] to the north side, is thru a passage hallway directly above the theatre entrance on floors 2-6.

The real mystery to me in making the building work as a hotel, is where do they put the hotel lobby? Probably where the restaurant is on the left side of the building. This will be a very challenging project to complete, due to the 800 lb. gorilla [the theatre]. The theatre/building first floor footprint...

[Richard]

^ actually that would be a pretty cool project also,the theater is the draw,hotel guests could have dinner and a movie,local groups either musical like swing,jazz,blues in an intimate setting,comedy shows,dueling pianos,local or brought in live theater and plays.

No rap.

If you kept with the historical aspect of the hotel,people are not going to expect it to mimic a new hotel and they will overlook minor inconveniences like split floors etc,adds to the charm.

Pretend it is s cruise ship and boom it with accommodations and entertainment packages,like a little Las Vegas casino,you could even take some of the rooms on the top floor back in some quiet corner and make them behind the scenes high stakes poker rooms.

$50k buy in,that would cover the mortgage,everybody else you just get so drunk that they have to rent a room instead of risking the drive home,turn obstacles into opportunity.