DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. hosted a special event on Wednesday evening called “Fun, Food and Fords.” It was held on the rooftop terrace at The Factory located in Detroit’s Corktown district.
John Vincent, a Ford Tech Specialist, informed me that Ford started testing self-driving vehicles (Ford Fusions) here in Detroit as of last week. The automaker has partnered with Pittsburgh-based Argo AI for its test fleet. Each Fusion is equipped with new sensors, radars and cameras.
“They have also been testing autonomous vehicles in Ann Arbor with Domino’s pizza delivery and Post-mates food delivery in Miami,” Vincent confirmed. “A few hundred workers already work at the Michigan Avenue Corktown Factory.”
The Factory at Michigan Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard will be home to Ford’s Autonomous Vehicle team. The Foundry is a former brass factory. The Factory was a hosiery factory. The Post was a former Postal building and book depository.
Ford provided us with an update on the progress of The Michigan Central Train Station today. The second phase is underway now, restoring eight acres of masonry and repairing the steel structure of the historic Beaux-Arts Building.
Workers will remove 1,200 feet of cornice, the decorative molding on top edge of the building. Terra cotta cornices will be replaced and 106,000 square feet of roof structure repairs will be completed in the second phase. Also 1,184 tower windows will be restored to preserve the historic appearance.
Michigan Central Station was opened in 1913 as the fourth tallest building in the city and tallest train station in the world, accommodating 200 trains per day. Ford acquired the station in 2018 and it will be transformed to its original grandeur with a target date of five years.
Ford is proud to be in Detroit and co-create the future of mobility in Corktown (the city’s oldest neighborhood). They plan to harness new technology to re-imagine transportation so that it is better for us and the community. Michigan Central will play an essential role in creating the future of mobility.
