Gandy Dancer

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Hobbs+Black continued the adaptive reuse of the HH Richardson-inspired Ann Arbor Depot of the Michigan Central Railroad into the Gandy Dancer restaurant. The project involved the extension and expansion of the Muir family’s restaurant which had been originally restored in 1970.

The Hobbs+Black expansion design retains and provides modern adaptive reuse of many of the original building elements. The Depot Street (a brick-paved street) side of the building houses a completely new kitchen, while the operational railroad track side is dramatically featured outside the new garden room, a pleasant dining area with a glass-enclosed view of the old train platform, daily Amtrack schedule, and the Huron River. The garden room is also a connection from the original depot 3-story waiting room and the main dining area to the Hobbs+Black-designed new dining space in the original train station’s baggage room.

The Gandy Dancer has profited as a destination attraction for thousands of “history buff diners”, with historical museum quality photos telling the “railroad story” and its impact on Ann Arbor.