Apr 25, 2023 - News
Presenting the restored Book Depository building
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The Book Depository building, left, opens today. Photo: Jason Keen, courtesy of Michigan Central
The once-vacant Book Depository building next to Michigan Central Station reopens Tuesday after a much-needed makeover.
Why it matters: As the new home of Newlab's Detroit headquarters, the Book Depository's rebirth is the first phase of Ford Motor's new mobility-focused Michigan Central innovation campus.
Catch up quick: Renowned local architect Albert Kahn designed the building as a post office branch. It opened in 1936, handling mail arriving by rail at the train depot.
- Detroit Public Schools later acquired it to warehouse textbooks before a 1987 fire left the building a vacant shell.
- Ford Motor bought the structure, along with Michigan Central Station, in 2018.
By the numbers: The renovated building is 270,000 square feet, 2,000 of which is exhibition space.
- It includes an 11,000-square-foot robotics and prototyping facility.
- Newlab Detroit has attracted about 150 employees from more than 25 companies so far.