Built for the Michigan Central Railroad, it replaced the original depot in downtown Detroit, which had been shuttered after a major fire on December 26, 1913, forcing the still unfinished station into early service.

The tallest rail station in the world at the time of its construction,[1] the Beaux-Arts style architecture was designed by architects who had previously worked on Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

"[8] The building began operating as Detroit's main passenger depot in 1913 after the older Michigan Central Station burned on December 26, 1913.

At the beginning of World War I, the peak of rail travel in the United States, more than 200 trains left the station each day and lines would stretch from the boarding gates to the main entrance.

Among notable passengers arriving at MCS were Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman and Franklin D. Roosevelt, actor Charlie Chaplin, inventor Thomas Edison and artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

In the 1920s Henry Ford began to buy land near the station and made construction plans, but the Great Depression and other circumstances squelched this and many other development efforts.

Service was reduced and passenger traffic became so low that the New York Central attempted to sell the facility in 1956 for US$5 million, one-third of its original 1913 building cost.

This left only two ticket windows to serve passengers and visitors, who used the same parking-lot entrance as railroad employees working in the building.

By 1960 the New York Central ended its direct service south to Toledo, on its own timetable yielding that responsibility to the B&O.

[16] In July 1992, the Detroit Master Plan of Policies for the southwest sector's urban design identified the station as an attractive or interesting feature to be recognized, enhanced and promoted.

On March 25, 2011, in an effort to push forward a potential sale and redevelopment, Dan Stamper, spokesperson for Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun, announced plans to work with the City of Detroit on funding replacement of the tower's roof, and installing new windows on the structure.

On May 5, 2011, the Detroit International Bridge Company announced it engaged the Ann Arbor firm of Quinn Evans on behalf of the Moroun family that owned the building to oversee restoration of the roof and windows of the structure.

As part of that agreement, the city would receive up to $5 million for park improvements, and the Bridge Company agreed to replace the windows in the train station.

[36][37] By August 2016 the Moroun family had spent 10 years and $12 million on electricity, windows, and the elevator shaft, to revitalize the building.

[38] On March 20, 2018, The Detroit News published an article noting the Ford Motor Company was in talks to buy the structure.

[43] Ford planned to turn the building into a hub for its autonomous vehicle development and deployment, and as an anchor for the company's Corktown campus.

[44][45] On June 19, 2018, Ford held a community celebration, in which local rapper Big Sean performed, and the building was opened to the public for the first time since its closure in the 1980s.

According to local Detroit media outlets, Ford planned to renovate the station, the warehouse next door, and complete construction on the rest of its campus within four years, and is part of the company's $1 billion capital improvements project, which also included the creation of a development on the West side of Dearborn, Michigan, as well as a renovation of the company's main headquarters in Dearborn.

[47] Phase II began in May 2019 and consisted of masonry restoration of the tower and concourse, retiling of the ceiling of the waiting room, and repair of the structural steel.

[51] In January 2024 Ford announced that they were seeking a zoning change that would allow for the development of a hotel on the top two or three floors of the station building.

[8][51] As part of its grand reopening, tickets for a free concert featuring Detroit performers were made available and sold out within five minutes.

In late 2023 Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada were studying the feasibility of connecting one Chicago-Detroit train to a Windsor-Toronto round trip.

[54] However the track arrangement at the current Amtrak Detroit station would require a time consuming and cumbersome backup move.

While there is space near the existing CPKC main line for a platform, direct access from the rear of Michigan Central is no longer possible.

[54] In June 2024 VIA Rail CEO Mario Péloquin stated that funding was in place and planning was proceeding to start service within two years but he did not specify how the connection would be managed in Detroit.

In addition, one track served the Railway Express Agency (REA) mail service at the southern end of the shed.