Earlier I visited Detroit's Elmwood Cemetery, "the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan," and took some pictures.

While in Detroit, I also visited the historic Michigan Central Station, which has remained in ruins for decades while its "future" is endlessly debated. The owner of the historic building would like to fix it up, while the Detroit City Council wants to tear it down. This I cannot understand, for it is a beautiful example of Beaux Arts architecture, and a stunning reminder of what Detroit was once like (and of course how far it fell).

Opened in 1913, the building is of the Beaux-Arts Classical style of architecture, designed by the Warren & Wetmore and Reed and Stem firms who also designed New York City's Grand Central Terminal.[3] The price tag for this 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) building was $15 million when it was built.

The building is composed of two distinct parts: the train station itself and the 18-story tower. The roof height is 230 feet (70 m). Ideas as to what the tower was originally designed for include a hotel, offices for the rail company, or a combination of both. In reality, the tower was only used for office space by the Michigan Central Railroad and subsequent owners of the building. The interiors of at least the top floor were completed and served no function.

The main waiting room on the main floor was modeled after an ancient Roman bathhouse with walls of marble. The building also housed a large hall adorned with Doric columns and contained the ticket office and arcade shops. Beyond the arcade was the concourse, which had brick walls and a large copper skylight. From here, passengers would walk down a ramp to the departing train platforms, 11 tracks in all. Below the tracks and building is a large area for baggage, mail, and other office building functions.

The building has been stripped of most valuable items including brass fixtures. It has also been the victim of extensive vandalism.

What a scandal that money that is supposed to be spent to put people to work, that could have been used to create the greenest of jobs in building restoration and upgrading, would be misused to hide the embarrassment of Detroit, that such a gem could be left to deteriorate to such a state.

The people who want to tear it down call it an eyesore. I disagree, and it was well worth driving out of the way just to visit it. Yes, it is in a ruined state, but they don't make ruins like this anymore:

I think it outclasses any modern eyesore that might replace it.

MORE: Here's what Michigan Central Station looked like in its day (and in Detroit's):