Michigan Central celebrated its grand reopening in June and welcomed 167,000 visitors over the summer. The building in Corktown closed down more than 30 years ago and was acquired by Ford Motor Company in 2018. It reopened after six years under reconstruction.

Newlab at Michigan Central is home to 119 startups and 670 members. The innovation hub fosters mobility-focused startups, and moving Ford’s electric vehicle team to Corktown to work alongside The Factory will only add to the collaboration, Stearn said.

The employees met with the Detroit Free Press prior to the big move to walk through the rehabbed building and share pieces of their lives.

Ford Motor Co.’s first wave of employees to occupy Michigan Central Station start moving in this week. Carolina Pluszczynski, COO of Michigan Central, told Crain’s Detroit Business sister publication Automotive News last month that the move-in date is Tuesday, Oct. 8 and “we’ll see a couple of Ford floors.”

We've seen the unveiling of Michigan Central Station. but now, we are getting a closer look at the heart of the innovation district.

Michigan Central Station on Tuesday becomes the headquarters for Ford Motor Co.'s Model e electric vehicle division, as employees from the business unit as well as its Integrated Services software team move into the former train depot.

Tuesday was move-in day at Michigan Central, a day Ford and the city, have both been waiting for. "What this means to the city, to have this kind of Ford presence, is enormous," said Mayor Mike Duggan.