Ford recently made its plans known when it comes to recent acquisitions within Detroit’s Corktown community of Michigan’s iconic Central Station building, former Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, as well as other key structures within the area, during its celebratory 115th anniversary week.

The Drive reported that while the purchase was officially made public last week, there have been weeks of speculation around Ford purchasing the station, and the company officially acknowledged acquisition more recently. It seems all locations will be known as Ford’s Corktown campus, a hub where the company and collaborators can work on electric (EVs) and autonomous cars. Other things that will occur within the hub include: urban mobility services, space designs, as well as solutions around connected and smart vehicles, public transit, and parking.

It has also been confirmed that about 2,500 Ford workers, mostly from the mobility group, will now call the Detroit Corktown community their home (for work that is) by the year 2022; this means that these currently acquired structures are sure to go through a reno process lasting about three to four years.

Numerous speakers took the platform during a press conference that was televised recently at the Michigan Central Station, where individuals shared their personal experiences within the Corktown community. Still, some of the most powerful stories centered around Ford and its history within the neighbourhood. It’s undeniable that the company’s Highland Park facility was one that helped shaped the middle class in the United States, before such an idea even existed, and Willow Run was responsible for the tanks and planes that helped America win the second World War.

And then there is the Rouge Plant, a Ford facility that builds the F-150 currently; one that has been helping place wheels on the world and increasing the middle-class demographic for over a century now.

It’ll be interesting to see what Ford is able to do in their old stomping ground, moving forward.