21 Forgotten Train Stations That Are Now Beautiful Ruins

2. Michigan Central Station – USA

A towering symbol of Detroit’s industrial zenith and decline, Michigan Central Station opened in 1913 as the tallest rail terminal in the world. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style by the same architects behind Grand Central Terminal in New York, it featured 18 stories of offices, marble columns, soaring ceilings, and waiting rooms that looked more like palace ballrooms than transit hubs. As Detroit’s economy faltered and train travel declined, the station became an unwanted relic. It was shuttered in 1988 and left exposed to the elements, scrappers, and graffiti artists. For decades, its decayed grandeur loomed over the city like a ghost of its former self—part apocalyptic movie set, part pilgrimage site for urban explorers and photographers. Though Ford Motor Company has since acquired it with plans to restore and repurpose it, much of the ruinous beauty remains intact, making it a fascinating symbol of both collapse and potential rebirth.