Parking targets in Corktown isn’t a great idea:
Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln luxury brand next month will make Michigan Central in Detroit the home of its marketing, sales and services teams and share the ninth floor with the automaker's Model e electric vehicle team.
The move comes as the Dearborn automaker transitions to its new global corporate headquarters known as "The Hub" just a few miles from the Glass House, its home since 1956 that will be demolished. Ford in 2024 reopened the former train depot, which had been a symbol of Detroit's hard times, with office, retail and event space after the Blue Oval acquired it in 2018 to attract young tech talent. The building's restoration has made it a hot venue for large-scale events, elegant weddings and now a luxury vehicle brand.
“It's a great opportunity for the brand to be in this beautiful place," Lincoln spokesperson Anika Salceda-Wycoco said.
Automotive News first reported the move. Although Ford's new 2.1-million-square-foot headquarters in Dearborn is larger than its previous home, Lincoln President Joaquin Nuño-Whelan told the outlet that moving to Detroit creates an opportunity for the brand to differentiate itself from the mass-market Ford brand, while still being close to the strengths its sibling brand offers.
Salceda-Wycoco didn't provide a total number of employees expected to be assigned to the building called a "thriving symbol of innovation and culture" in a statement, noting desin and product development teams will still remain on the Dearborn campus. Nuño-Whelan told Automotive News it would be about 55 people moving into the station.
The Dearborn automaker by the end of 2028 expects 2,500 Ford employees and another 2,500 workers will be on the campus that includes the Newlab startup hub in the adjacent former book depository. The automaker occupies the eighth, ninth and 10th floors of the 18-story office tower. In addition to Model e, it houses its integrated services software team and philanthropy arm.
The station reopened in June 2024 with an outdoor concert and public tours after a $950 million investment into the campus anchored by the depot whose last train left in 1988. Yellow Light Coffee and a retail store have opened inside the ground floor of the building, and a high-end NoMad hotel will take over the top five floors in 2027. More tenants are expected in the coming years.