Photographer: Michigan Central Station

The 500,000-square-foot Michigan Central Station served as the passenger rail depot for Detroit, Michigan, from 1913 to 1988. Designed by the same architects behind Grand Central Station – Warren and Wetmore – the waiting room was modeled after the public baths of ancient Rome and stretches the length of the building. Michigan Central Railroad was a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad, which was owned by rail tycoon William Vanderbilt.

Waiting room - There are 14 marble pillars set against the walls and at the entrance to the concourse (MCS 1)

Waiting room – Covered by Guastavino tile vaults divided by broad coffered arches, the waiting room was decorated with marble floors, bronze chandeliers, gargantuan 68-foot Corinthian columns, and three arched 21-by-40 foot windows flanked by four smaller windows ornamented with lovely wrought iron grilles. (MCS 2)

Beyond the waiting room, you could buy your ticket from one of the many ornate ticket counters, or walk down the 28-foot-tall arcade to visit a newsstand, drugstore, cigar shop, or barbershop. (MCS 3)

The main concourse had nearly 20 skylights and huge windows providing tons of natural sunlight. (MCS 4)

View Portfolio

Check out

More Works

Healing

Buffalo State Hospital

Construction on the complex began in 1872 and opened in 1880 as the state-of-the-art Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane. The process brought together three innovative thinkers and designers of the time: Henry Hobson Richardson, the father of the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style; Frederick Law Olmsted, the American landscape architect who had designed Central Park in New York City; and Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, the founder of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (AMSII), a precursor to the American Psychiatric Association.

Healing

Poli's Palace

The Loew’s Poli Palace and Majestic Theaters comprise a 13-acre complex in the heart of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Built by theater impresario Sylvester Poli as a vaudeville house, it featured vaulted ceilings, gilded hand-carved moldings, and seating for more than 3,600.

Playing

Uptown Theater

With an opening day marquee announcing “an acre of seats in a magic city,” Chicago’s 4,300-seat Uptown Theatre is the largest freestanding theater in the country, debuting in 1925 as one of the world’s most glamorous movie palaces. The Uptown Theater in Chicago is the last jewel of the Balaban and Katz theater chain. Its opulent grand entrance is adorned with marble floors and 24-carat gold and silver leaf designs reflecting the period’s extravagances. Although the Uptown enjoyed several years of success, changing economic factors forced the theater into a steady period of decline. The Uptown closed for good in 1981 when its owners neglected to heat the building during the winter and it suffered extensive damage from frozen water pipes. Purchased through judicial sale by Jam Productions in 2008, restoration efforts have been slow, with repair estimates nearing $70 million.

Playing

Living

Banks

The financial institutions we go to keep our money safe and dreams alive. Their architecture – typically of solid construction with classical architectural features – is not merely about aesthetics, of course; banks are designed to convey strength, stability, and security.

Living

Working

Richmond Power Plant

The Richmond Power Plant’s nestled along the Delaware River opened in 1925 to service the growing northeast population of Philadelphia. The turbine hall is one of the biggest open rooms ever designed and once housed the world’s largest Westinghouse turbo generators. Closed in 1985, the location still has been frequented by several Hollywood productions, serving as the backdrop to one of Michael Bay's grotesque Transformer movies, as well as having one of its massive generators being the time machine used by Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys.

Working

Praying

Midwest Churches

Houses of the holy in the heartland of America.