NOVEMBER 10 • 2022 | 37

of subjects to collaborate on,” 
he added. “
And so [whether it’s 
academia or business or entre-
preneurship or real estate], 
in some ways, we’re all in it 
together.”

A GRAND VISION
When Jennifer Maiseloff, now 
a set designer for the stage, 
was beginning 
her painting stud-
ies at the College 
for Creative 
Studies in Detroit 
at the age of 18, 
she found inspi-
ration by visiting 
Michigan Central. She’d go 
through each floor up to the 
roof, taking photos and mak-
ing sketches while she was 
there. She’d later turn them 
into an array of paintings. 
She’d describe the historical 
edifice as her muse.
 For Mary Culler, it’s full-
speed ahead with an extraor-
dinary commitment. 
 “We’re excited about mov-
ing the work forward. You’re 
going to start to see some of 

the buildings open and, in 
some cases, getting completed. 
And it’s hard to believe that 
all the time has passed and 
that we’re at this exciting point 
where we’re actually seeing 
progress. It’s really real.”

FINAL THOUGHTS
On my last visit to Michigan 
Central, the elevator of years 
gone by was once again mov-
ing up. 
 It led up to a rooftop with 
230 feet of possibility that 
caused Joshua Sirefman to 
move back. And not far off in 
Corktown were newer devel-
opments that led Matthew 
Kalt to move home. 
 Without announcement, 
while more moved up and 
back and home, that initial 
skepticism — not surprisingly 
— started movin’ out. 
 And whether it’s a 20th-cen-
tury train station or a 
21st-century mobility campus, 
not being on the right plat-
form forward, to quote singer 
Billy Joel, just seemed such a 
waste of time. 

Crews work on the 30-acre 
complex in Detroit’s Corktown 
and Southwest neighborhoods.

Jennifer 
Maiseloff

