Are you or your high-schooler interested in Code Next Detroit? The 2023-2024 winter semester applications are open now through August 4th. If you are a Detroit-area high school student interested in finding more information or applying, follow this link.

To learn more about the experiences available, Code Next Detroit instructor Naomi Hill recently spent some time with Israel Muniz, a 9th grade student enrolled in the program. Here’s what he had to say:

Naomi: What do you enjoy most about the Code Next program?

Israel: The thing that I enjoy most about Code Next is that it challenges you to expand your knowledge base in the area of computer science and engineering while allowing space for you to learn at your own pace. It also gives you the opportunity to directly engage with new technology, like 3D printing and coding, but in a learning environment that’s more inviting than a traditional classroom.

Naomi: What surprised you most about Code Next?

Israel: When I read the initial information before applying, I thought it was too good to be true. So, the most surprising part about it was partially that it wasn’t a scam. But more importantly, Code Next is a place where there are others who have the same interests as me, where I don’t feel out of place with my ideas for new ingenuity. Code Next makes me feel like I’m not alone and a part of something so much bigger. In all it has exceeded my expectations— from the curriculum, to the students I’ve developed relationships with, to the coaches who encourage us to push the limits of our thinking.

Naomi: What experiences have you had through Code Next that are different from your high school experience?

Israel: I’ve had so many amazing experiences, from meeting the Lt. Governor of Michigan to participating in the #IamRemarkable workshop. Code Next is an amazing way to escape and learn amazing new tech in a chill environment.

Naomi: Has Code Next given you motivation to explore a career in mobility or computer science?

Israel: Code Next has helped me begin to focus on my college and career path. I knew that I enjoyed gaming, architecture and media before participating in this program. But my experience has clarified the broad range of opportunities that are available. I’ve also been able to explore dual enrollment options for college credits and the coaches are always willing to sit down and help you decide what path you may take.

Naomi: Do you enjoy coming to Michigan Central for Code Next?

Israel: To say I love coming to Code Next is an understatement. If I’m being completely honest, I hate that it’s only 5 days out of the week. Even though it’s only a couple hours a week I cherish every moment and never want to leave.

Naomi: Thanks Israel! And good luck in the future!

Israel: Thank you too!

Special thanks to Israel Muniz, Asim Williams, Naomi Hill and Nando Felten from Code Next Detroit!

Do you think you are a good fit for Code Next Detroit? Applications for the 2023-24 year are open now through August 4th.
Apply Now for Code Next Detroit

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In 2018, Ford bought the once-grand train depot, which was opened in 1913 and abandoned in 1988. Soon afterward, it announced plans for a $350-million renovation that would bring the site back to life as the anchor of the Corktown neighborhood. Those plans have been expanded and now call for turning the 30 acres surrounding the old train station into a “mobility innovation district” where Ford will do research involving next-generation vehicles and transportation technology. The land will also include community gathering space.

An artist’s rendering of what the grounds surrounding the Michigan Central Station might look like. Indoor and outdoor artworks are planned for the site.

Farmboy Fine Arts, an art advisory firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is overseeing the curation of Ford’s public art project. The company describes its mission as “designing impactful art experiences for our global clientele.” It has collaborated with, among others, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott and Royal Caribbean International.

“Art is one of the great connectors because it has no physical boundaries,” said Ariel Grue Lee, Farmboy’s vice president of business development. “We’ve been working to bring as many artists to the table as possible who are already doing amazing work in (Detroit) and want to create work at the station. We’ll also be doing open calls where artists can submit proposals for specific areas and opportunities, and our vision is starting to expand into even performance, projection work, all sorts of digital technology.

“There’s potential to do a lot of rotating art displays,” she said. “There could be a permanent gallery inside the train station itself, as well as work that changes regularly, or community activations, or an actual performance that happens for a period of time, even movie production. We want a diversity of mediums because there are so many diverse stories to be told.

“Some of the art that’s happening in Detroit is absolutely at a global level of skill,” she continued, “and we’re really excited to be able to shine that light. People all over the world are interested in Michigan Central, so it will really be a national and international beacon. We’re excited about how that will help to elevate some of the incredible work happening on the ground here.”

Work continues on the restoration of the Michigan Central Station, which was opened in 1913 and abandoned in 1988.

Rochelle Riley, arts and culture director for the City of Detroit, serves on the Michigan Central curatorial board and describes Ford’s art efforts as “one of the most important projects in the city.”

“We’ve had conversations about what the outcome should be, what type of relationship Ford should have with the city’s artists. … It’s all been amazing. One of the things that I have been impressed by is they’re not just reaching out to artists, but they’re talking to people who are invested in the arts, who work with and fund artists. On our board, we have Nate Wallace from the Knight Foundation. We’ve got actual artists, and they’re making sure that what they’re doing fits not only with what residents want, but where art is going in Detroit.

“We’ve been having very intuitive and unusual conversations about art,” she said. “When people walk into that space, no matter who they are or what part of the city they come from, they should have a feeling that it belongs to them.”

“This is just such a breath of fresh air – to see a great building saved after it looked like it was going to go to the wrecking ball,” says Detroit artist Scott Hocking, who has staged work in the Michigan Central Station.

Artist Scott Hocking is impressed with Ford’s effort as well. The 2011 Kresge Visual Arts Fellow has staged work in the Michigan Central Station for several years.

“It seems to me that Farmboy did really diligent research on Detroit’s art scene,” he said. “They reached out and had a Zoom meeting with around 20 Detroit-based creative people from different ages, backgrounds, mediums, and I was one of those people. That led to one-on-one meetings. Being an outside company working on a project here in Detroit, they’re taking the time to evaluate the right approach and involving artists in the entire process of renovating the train station.

“I’ve been here my whole life,” he continued, “and that train station has existed since I was a child. But when I started to pursue art myself, in the ’90s, it was abandoned and had been busted open by scrappers. There was no gate around it. The front doors had been stolen. You could drive your car right in there. A lot of old buildings had been essentially abandoned by very wealthy people who didn’t care about the history of the neighborhood, and the train station was the shining example of that. The Packard plant is another.

“That’s the kind of thing we’re used to here,” he said. “And this is just such a breath of fresh air – to see a great building saved after it looked like it was going to go to the wrecking ball.”

Story by Duante Beddingfield | Detroit Free Press

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The plans include four key buildings: Michigan Central Station, Building West, the Factory, and the Book Depository. The Beaux Arts–style 1913 Michigan Central Station building will become the hub of the new campus in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood while the Albert Kahn-designed Book Depository, which was built in 1926 and abandoned after a 1987 fire, will be transformed into a whimsical makerspace by a team led by Gensler.

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At a virtual community meeting, the Dearborn automaker revealed its vision for the four-building, 30-acre campus, which it is in the midst of redeveloping via a $740 million project that aims to connect to the surrounding neighborhood. Ford described the planned campus as an “inclusive, vibrant and walkable innovation district.”

“Our vision is really about creating the future, and creating a hub for global innovation that will be anchored by 2,500 Ford employees and 2,500 others,” said Mary Culler, Ford’s development director for the project and president of the Ford Fund. “We want this to be a place where we can build new ways for people to have access to mobility, to lead better lives, and of course we want it to be a great destination for the community.”

Project leaders said that, despite delays caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the project remains on track, with the Book Depository building and a parking “hub” expected to open in early 2022 and Michigan Central Station on track to be completed by the end of 2022. The station’s restoration is in the middle of phase two out of three.

Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman, in 2018 first announced plans to restore Michigan Central Depot, which had been abandoned since 1988, into the centerpiece of an innovation hub that will eventually be home to some 5,000 employees.

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The post Ford Unveils Michigan Central Site Plan for Corktown appeared first on Michigan Central.

Corktown, long known for its wood-framed houses, restaurants and taverns, is the site of the automaker’s planned $740 million project to create a place where new transportation and mobility ideas are nurtured and developed.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based company’s foray into Corktown started with its 2018 acquisition of the massive Michigan Central train station and other buildings in the neighborhood just west of downtown.

When work is completed, the 30-acre (12.1 hectare) site will have more than 1 million square feet (304,800 meters) of commercial space.

“This is a really, authentically beautiful neighborhood. It’s really important that we maintain its integrity,” said Mary Culler, Ford’s Detroit development director and president of the Ford Foundation.

For decades, Corktown stood in the long shadow of the hulking 17-story train station. After being vacated in 1988, the building epitomized Detroit’s blight and economic despair amid the city’s steadily shrinking manufacturing base and exodus of people.

Between the 1950s and 2010, Detroit lost more than 1 million residents. Stable, middle- and blue-collar neighborhoods were emptied of families. Houses became vacant, stripped of metal and anything else of value before collapsing or razed into mounds of wood and other debris.

Through it all, the train station remained standing — too costly to demolish, too large for other uses, and a contradiction to its once-ornate grandeur.

The depot opened in late 1913 and was designed by the same architects who created New York’s Grand Central Terminal. Like other train stations across the U.S., Detroit’s became seemingly obsolete as interest in traveling by rail waned.

Businessman Manuel “Matty” Moroun bought the building in the mid-1990s after a previous owner defaulted on a loan, but an anchor tenant could not be found.

Two years ago, Ford stepped in, bought the building and started fixing up 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter) structure. Work should be completed by the end of 2022.

Ford expects to have about 2,500 of its own people and 2,500 partner employees working on the campus that will focus on autonomous vehicles. About 250 workers in Ford’s autonomous vehicle business unit already work out of The Factory, another building near the train station.

The former Detroit school’s Book Depository was designed by famed architect Albert Kahn. It has been vacant following a 1987 fire. The Detroit office of global architecture firm Gensler is working with Ford to renovate the building. Construction will start early next year. Move-in is expected in early 2022.

“The Book Depository is going to be the heart of the innovation district … a mixed-use maker space for partners to come in and solve problems,” Culler said. “We think that this project is really pivotal for Ford and the city.”

A greenway will connect 7 acres behind the train station to the city’s west riverfront, while the train platform and tracks will be repurposed as a technology testing and showcase area. It also is expected to feature pedestrian and bike paths.

Ford’s plans fit into what Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. have envisioned for Corktown, according to Katy Trudeau, the city’s deputy director for planning and development.

“There were people nervous about the significant impact the project would have on residents and housing prices,” Trudeau said. “People were concerned that their neighbors who were renters might be displaced due to rising prices.”

In some cases, rents have doubled — something residents worried about after Ford’s 2018 announcement, said Debra Walker, who moved into Corktown about 20 years ago.

“Everybody is seeing dollar signs, so rents are going up,” said Walker, 67, who is retired. “You can still make your money, this is America. But what can we do to keep the neighborhood diverse?”

The city is seeking a competitive federal grant that would help fund up to 800 new affordable housing units in Corktown.

“With all of the economic development happening in Corktown, it is critical that there is affordable housing developed alongside it,” said Donald Rencher, Detroit Housing & Revitalization director. “Given the tremendous investment and trends that we are seeing, we are at an important time to ensure Corktown remains a place where Detroiters of all walks of life are welcome.”

Some Ford employees at The Factory already live in the neighborhood, Culler said.

“It is more than just the train station. We want to be a good neighbor there,” she said.

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The post Ford to revamp Detroit book warehouse into innovation hub appeared first on Michigan Central.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer alongside Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford made the announcement Thursday afternoon at the news conference outside Michigan Central Station in Detroit.

The project, which is being called an “advanced transportation and mobility technology and infrastructure effort,” would build or assign dedicated lanes for automated vehicles on a 40-mile stretch of highway between Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congresswomen Debbie Dingell, Brenda Lawrence and Rashida Tlaib also attended the announcement.

Organizers say the project is the first of its kind in the U.S.

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“A gentleman walked up to the ticket window with tears rolling down his cheeks,” he says. “I asked him if he needed help. The man just pointed toward the subway where everybody boarded the trains and said, ‘that’s where I last saw my oldest brother back in 1943. He turned around, waved to us and then got on his train. We never saw him again. He was killed in the Pacific.’

“That was some 30 years ago,” says Novasky, a tremor in his voice, “and it still hits me even today.”

Michigan Central was once one of the grandest railway stations in the United States – the gateway to a fabulously wealthy city, dominated by the auto industry.

Thousands of workers passed through the building in search of new lives – immigrants from Europe and the Middle East along with black workers, part of the “great migration” northwards, from the prejudice and poverty of the agricultural South.

But Detroit’s days of lavish prosperity are long gone. The station has been closed and abandoned for more than 30 years. Its tower, like the keep of a derelict fortress, is a poignant symbol of a once-great city’s decline.

Now Michigan Central is being given a new life by the industry that created Detroit’s wealth. In 2018 the Ford Motor Company bought the building and began the huge task of refurbishing it as the centrepiece of a new campus, devoted to high-tech vehicles and the future of transportation.

Looming over the Corktown neighbourhood, the station is going to be transformed, along with the local area. What does the history of Michigan Central tell us about the rise, fall, and perhaps rise again of Motor City?

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Now, Michigan Central Station seems poised to represent a symbol of the City’s revival. When Bill Ford Jr. made it the company’s mission to purchase the iconic station, his vision was to invest in the future of transportation – in technology such as self-driving vehicles – and to return Detroit to being a global center of mobility innovation, with the station as the linchpin.

For a neighborhood that has been hit hard by the city’s decline and only in the past few years seen residential and business investments, Ford’s Corktown investment has the power to transform not only the train station, but Southeast Michigan as a whole.

Many are now wondering: what will happen to the Corktown neighborhood now that Ford Motor Company, one of the largest automotive companies in the world, is investing heavily in it?

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We’d like to give a special thanks to NBS Commercial Interiors who designed our custom set for this conversation. NBS is at the leading edge of workplace design. NBS along with Steelcase believe spaces can inspire new ways of thinking and fuel creativity.

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The post William Clay Ford Jr. Interview | A Drink With – Detroit appeared first on Michigan Central.

“I kept staring at the train station thinking, ‘What if? Wouldn’t that be amazing?’ ” he told the Free Press. “If all we did was to restore this fabulous building and make it sparkle, that would be great. But we’re going to do much more than that. It’s really about creating the future of transportation. And doing it in Corktown.”

The purchase of the Michigan Central Station brings to life Ford’s vision, a vision designed to navigate a changing future rather than falling victim to it.

Bill Ford, great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, sat in the depot’s cavernous, long-neglected lobby for an interview with the Free Press on Wednesday, two days after the company’s audacious purchase was announced.

“Throughout most of my adulthood, when I would travel anywhere outside of Michigan, people would ask where I was from and I would say ‘Detroit.’ Often people said, ‘Gee, I’m sorry.’ Or ‘Why? Why would you live there?’ I was always very proud of this area. And I love Detroit. Even this building we’re in. It was always photographed as the symbol of what had become of Detroit. It was the symbol of the ruin of our city.”

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