Detroit MC architectural drawings

[trainjunkie47]

Detroit train station architectural drawings sat in rotting trailers for years.
Allie Gross, Detroit Free Press Published 6:00 a.m. ET Dec. 18, 2018 | Updated 1:16 p.m. ET Dec. 18, 2018

Mark Harvey does not skimp on the details when describing the three trailers that have now become, almost, legend within his office at the Archives of Michigan.

Residing in knotted grass behind a machinist shop in Trenton, the trailers were leaning at all the wrong angles. Holes were ripped through the sheet metal. Because of mold and the raccoons that had nudged their way inside — leaving fecal matter and destruction in their wake — Tyvek suits and respirators were required to enter.

In short, it was sort of a disaster. Especially when considering the contents: thousands of documents, artifacts and detailed drawings that went into the construction of Detroit's iconic Michigan Central Station. Documents that were removed from the station by employees when the depot shut down in 1988, and then, over the course of nearly three decades, bounced around metro Detroit, swapping hands and locations as various guardians recognized they were holding onto something valuable, but just didn't know what to do with it.

(the rest of the article and some pictures are available here)
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/ ... 293477002/

[Steve B]

Ouch. Only about 10% salvageable now. It's hard to fathom how it took decades for someone to give a responsible institution a call about these materials. It's a good warning story for what can happen when originally well intentioned efforts turn into a neglected mess.