Fate of Michigan Central Depot sparks Detroit’s latest demolition/preservation debate

City council wants the train station gone but its history and its potential may beat them out.Excerpt:These buildings should be preserved so in the near future they may
be used in a manner that will allow for an economic gain for Detroit.
There have been many options on the table pertaining to the depot , and
both sides should come to an agreement, for the betterment of Detroit.
Think about this decision a year from now. Suppose the building was
demolished, does Detroit plan on rebuilding on that tract of land? Or
will the tract sit there, empty, collecting filth and garbage. On
the same day council decided to move forward with a plan to demolish
the building, Mayor Ken Cockrel visited with community groups and
promised to clean up the 7 Mile area. Council President Moncia Conyers
proposed that the building be demolished and a shopping mall be erected
on the spot. Maybe Conyers did not get the memo, but the economy is
preventing Metro-Detroiters from doing much shopping lately.It
is difficult not to drive past the Central Depot and reflect on what
Detroit once was. . The Council will be quick to point to the fact that
the building will be demolished at the expense of Mr. Moroun, however
the citizens of Detroit will be paying a lot more. Once that building
falls all that was Detroit, and all that Detroit hopes to be falls too.
The morale of Detroit is down, and knocking down a symbol of this great
city will knock the morale down further.Read the entire article here.A few other stories about the Detroit icon:Detroit News editorial here and a story about the demo here.The Freep asks if it is an icon or an eyesore here and what could happen to its neighbors here.Another Freep editorial tells the city and owner Matty Moroun to do something about the blighted train station here.Photo essay can be found in this Freep story here.