Ford offers peek at restoration efforts inside Detroit’s historic Michigan Central Station

Workers find old Coke, beer bottles hidden in walls

DETROIT – While standing vacant for three decades, Michigan Central Station endured a beating from the elements, scrappers and vandals.

READ: A brief history of Michigan Central Station

Construction crews who have been working to restore the historic former train depot offered a look at the project's progress Thursday, 10 months after Ford purchased the building and started work inside.

Water, wind pose challenges

The interior of the structure is still very wet from rain, and wind is posing an issue to construction workers on the 12th floor.

"The amount of wind that is actually coming inside the building, the exposure, the windows and doors throughout we're seeing a substantial amount of wind-force," lead architect Rich Hess said.

About 8 feet of water was pumped from the basement. A secondary roof was built inside the 13th floor because the roof is so leaky, and the water is being drained to prevent it from going into the basement.

Workers think they'll have the building dry enough to turn heat on by the end of the year.

Crews discover pieces of history

Nestled inside the walls of Michigan Central Station were remnants left behind when the depot was being built more than a century ago.

Old pop and beer bottles were found hidden. The now-historical pieces were placed there by plasterers who built the station.

Construction workers have found old pop and beer bottles, such as this Coke bottle, in Michigan Central Station. (WDIV)

"We're finding them everywhere. We found 100-year-old bottles. I think what's cool about this Coke bottle, is it was made in Detroit," said Rich Bardelli, the construction manager.

Some other bottles were from Detroit microbreweries.


About the Authors:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional.