Ford kicked off its four-year renovation project at the historic Michigan Central Station in Detroit last week, and the automaker also provided an update and a look inside at the work.

The first of three phases started last week, and has crews beginning with the winterization of the long-vacant train station, drying out the extensive water damage and stabilizing the structure.

“We’re excited to start construction on this transformational project,” Mary Culler, development director for the automaker, said in a news release.

“The building has been open to the elements for years so the work being done first is mainly internal, weatherizing and making the building stable. Come spring, things will become more visible to the community. And it’s not just physical construction happening, behind the scenes we are designing and planning an urban ecosystem built around the future of mobility.”

In the second phase, the automaker will have its crew focus on replacing mechanical and electrical systems, and restoring the exterior masonry. The third and final phase will hone in on finishing and restoring the interior of the 105-year-old Michigan Central Station.

“Ford plans to return the grand hall of the station to its original grandeur and attract local shops and restaurants in support of a vibrant, inclusive public space for all,” the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker writes in the release.

The automaker plans to spend about $740 million on renovations to buildings that will soon make up its Corktown campus, after purchasing the long-vacant Michigan Central Station for $90 million back in June.

Once the project is complete, Ford will move about 2,500 employees into the once-doomed train station by 2022, and touts that Michigan Central Station will serve as the future “centerpiece” for its new Detroit-based campus.

Michigan Central Station was abandoned back in 1988, and has sustained damage from what Ford says is a repetitive “rain and freeze-thaw effect.” This caused existing cracks in the exterior masonry to expand at a quicker rate.

Ford says that over the years, the once-doomed train station has soaked up tons of water and needs to be dried, assessed and repaired. The automaker and construction firm Christman-Brinker will use a combo of plywood and tarpaulin to cover the many open windows and holes on the 600,000-square-foot building.

“The building is very lucky Ford stepped in when it did,” Ronald D. Staley, executive director of the construction company working with Ford on the three-phase, four-year project, said in the release.

“It would have been a lot more difficult, maybe impossible five to 10 years down the road to salvage. The first year is going to be primarily about doing core and shell work, getting the building stabilized, concrete and steel fixed, and the building enclosed.”

Alongside the train station built in 1913, the automaker also purchased the adjacent Detroit Public Schools Book Depository building, a former brass factory, along with two acres of vacant land in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

The former brass factory will be demolished to make room for about 247,500 square feet of office space, and 42,500 square feet of commercial space.

On top of this look at the work on the train station, Ford also reports that it has tapped the Urban Land Institute to help provide “independent views” that will help it plan and design in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.