Michigan Central Station To Open 17,000-Square-Foot Innovation Lab

Michigan Central Station revealed plans for a 17,000-square-foot innovation lab on the building's second floor. The Mezz will provide workspaces for members who need private conference rooms, open meeting areas, a kitchen, and a wellness center.

Black Tech Saturdays cohort will move in first. Crews are working now, and doors should open in April.

"It's really fun, because when Ford first bought the building in 2018, I think this is what we always hoped, is there'd be so much growth that we need to build out more spaces. So that time has finally come," said Clare Braun, director of Strategy & Innovation at Michigan Central according to CBS News Detroit.

Johnnie Turnage and his wife, Alexa, launched Black Tech Saturdays three years back to create connections for underrepresented communities working in tech. What started as five people gathering in coffee shops has mushroomed into meetups and networking events that have drawn more than 30,000 attendees.

"I think something that Michigan Central offers right now to founders who are building at this stage, credibility when you're building in tech as fast as things are building, having Michigan Central as a backdrop, a partner gives you credibility to deploy pilots, gives you credibility for your partnerships," said Turnage per CBS Detroit.

Twenty founders, artists, creators, and builders at different stages will get help through the program. They'll receive six months of support that includes workshops and tracking their progress.

Braun pointed out that the space offers varied work environments. "It really has the different variety of spaces that someone would need to go from working on a really hard problem to collaborating to relaxing," she said.

People must join as members of the station before using the innovation lab. Applications and details are posted on the Michigan Central website.