Detroit's iconic ruin could get a facelift.

Matty Moroun hopes to obtain permits by the end of the week to begin work on the Michigan Central Station, which he's owned since 1996.

"We're planning to replace the roofs and put windows in it," Dan Stamper, president of Moroun's Detroit International Bridge Company, told the television station. "We believe the building's worth saving. We're doing everything we can to do that."

"It's very easy to tear stuff down. I mean, you find a contractor, get a bid, signed check and pretty soon it's gone. That's easy. Trying to save some of these beautiful buildings is a lot harder and a lot more work and a lot more investment," he added.

The depot, standing in front of Roosevelt Park in the Corktown neighborhood, is the centerfold of Detroit ruin porn. Millions of passengers passed through the train station during its 75-year run, but it's sat empty for the past 23 years, aside from urban explorers and graffiti artists.

: "Nothing symbolizes Detroit's grandiose rise and spectacular fall like Michigan Central Station."

Moroun, who owns the Ambassador Bridge along with hundreds of parcels in Detroit, has

many of his properties around the city, including the depot. He's previously said

if he could find a tenant -- or tear it down if there was a local concensus.

Replacing the roof and installing windows won't be cheap, and it's a promising sign that Moroun is investing in the property to lure a tenant instead of simply waiting for one to materialize. But the long-term survival of the station still depends on finding a tenant, according to Stamper, who estimates a complete renovtion could cost around $80 million.