The Station

The NY Times today has a story on the abandoned Michigan Central train station in Detroit, along with a slide show of amazing photographs. You can see videos and panoramic views here. The building was once magnificent, one of those machine-age constructions that blended Roman grandeur with the technological muscle of steam and steel. Now it is a wreck, and nobody knows what to do with it.

I see this through the lens of Union Station in Washington, which was once a half-derelict building threatened with demolition, but is now a thriving shopping and restaurant center as well as a busy train station. More than that, it is an island of beauty in a mundane world. Passing through the grand hall every morning lifts my spirits as my eyes rise toward the statues under the vaulted ceiling. Since we have lost the ability to make new buildings that inspire me in the same way, I hate to see any of them destroyed. I also think that technology is moving inexorably back toward trains. Building new airports has become completely impossible in America, building new highways nearly so. Meanwhile trains keep getting faster, and at 250 miles per hour even the distances between American cities go by quickly enough to make train travel practical. I think that in 25 years, as our population passes 400 million with no new airports or highways, urban train stations will once again be key to how we get around.

But Washington is a thriving city, and Detroit is dying. Union Station is within blocks of Capitol Hill, whereas Michigan Station is surrounded by a near wasteland. In the short term Michigan Station can only survive by become some kind of destination -- a grand casino is one suggestion. I have to say that I am not optimistic. The American auto industry continues to stagnate, and if it comes back it will be with decentralized manufacturing networks distributed around the world, with no focus in Michigan. Detroit is only going to shrink more. I hope they find a way to keep Michigan Station part of the smaller city that will eventually emerge, but it will be a hard struggle.