On a near daily basis, chunks of plaster fall from the walls and ceilings of Michigan Central Station. It's not exactly surprising for a 100-year-old building that's been vacant for 30 years.

But there is surprising detail here. If you look closely at the plaster, a non-architect or historian may be amused by what they could see: tiny pieces of hair.

When the building was constructed in 1913, according to Ron Staley, the senior vice president of Christman Brinker, the construction firm tapped by Ford to bring the building back to life, horse hair was a commonly used binder.

Facts like this were dispensed Tuesday as representatives from Ford Land, Christman Brinker and architectural firm Quinn Evans gave the media a tour of the iconic station, which Ford purchased for $90 million in May from longtime owner Manuel Moroun.

The tour was scheduled around the beginning of what the trio is calling "Phase One" — out of three — in their effort to restore the building to its glory days.

"We’re excited to start construction on this transformational project,” said Mary Culler, Detroit development director, Ford Motor Co. "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."

Phase One, according to Richard Bardelli, construction manager for Ford Land, involves the stabilization of the building. In short, that means making sure water does not creep into the station and cause further havoc this winter. A temporary roof, enclosures and plumbing will be added to the building during this time.

On Tuesday — day one of the first phase — binding had already been placed around a few columns, something Bardelli said was necessary to make sure the depot's vaulted ceiling stays secure.

"Just precautionary [measures] making sure we're keeping everything safe," Bardelli said from inside the building's main hall.

The goal is to get the stabilization and security accomplished by the early part of next year, Staley said.

More:Ford gets $207M in Michigan tax breaks for Detroit train station remake

More:Ford taps former factory worker to do painting at Detroit train station

More:Ford says it will spend $740M to bring Detroit train station project to life

Phase Two — reconfiguring the building's electrical and mechanical systems — is not expected to come for a year or two, as architects from Quinn Evans begin an "architectural investigation." This involves analyzing the different materials — steel, concrete, plaster — that make up the station to better understand the conditions they are in and what needs to be done next for repair.

"A lot of this inspection work will continue for the next six months or so and we'll continue doing repairs of the structure well over the first year, into the second year before we start getting into engineer systems, mechanical systems, electrical systems, to bring the building forward for occupancy in the future," said Richard Hess, a principal at Quinn Evans.

Phase Three, according to Hess, will involve acting on what was learned in the investigation process — implementing architectural features that were a part of the building when it was built in 1913.

While this may be a way off, the trio are already beginning to think about how this will come to be. And modern technology may play a large role.

According to Bardelli, there are talks right now of using 3D printers to replicate some of the plasterwork that was once in the station.

"What we want to be able to do is reproduce these," Bardelli said, holding up a chunk of plaster with intricate florets that had fallen down. "[We'll] have these molds made up so we can put plaster back up and put everything back in."

"There are a lot of pieces that we don't have that all we have are pictures," Bardelli continued, explaining that computers and 3D printers can be used to help generate molds of these missing pieces.

According to Bardelli, while much of the building appears to be made of limestone or marble, a good majority is in fact plaster that was made to look fancy by "really good artisans" back in the early 1900s.

There's roughly 2.5 acres of plaster in the building, according to to Staley.

But while this preservation is important, the project must also strike a balance with future longevity.

"It's not just about the preservation of the materials that were here 100 years ago, but there is a lot of adaptive use and modern engineering that needs to go into place," he said. "How do you bring mechanical systems? Electrical systems? Security? And really the ability for people to live and work in this building for the next century?"

The station, which was opened in 1913, has taken on almost mythical significance in the city of Detroit — the ultimate symbol of rust-belt decay as is stood empty for nearly three decades.

After the station operated for nearly a 75 years, the last train rolled out in January 1988.

“More than a mere excursion into nostalgia, the shutdown of the Michigan Central Depot should be the occasion of serious reflection about what we once were, what we have lost — and what, given sufficient will, we could regain,” the Free Press wrote in an editorial that month.

Nearly two years later the station was purchased by real estate developer Mark Longton Jr.

"He sought to hit the jackpot by reopening the decaying depot, which by this point had no electricity and no heat, as a casino," Historic Detroit explains, noting that Longton envisioned a nightclub within called the Midnight Express and a hotel.

Unfortunately for Longton, Michigan voters did not approve gambling in the state until 1996 and the building, which cost thousands a month to maintain, began to deteriorate.

Staley remembers being brought in to study the building in 1993 and seeing a man scrapping the building, "throwing cast-iron weights" out of a window and into a truck below.

This destruction of the once majestic building was becoming more and more common, and following tax foreclosure, the building was acquired in 1995 by Controlled Terminals Inc. — a company owned by Moroun.

"He bought it with the idea that it might hold future value with his rail yard," Historic Detroit explains.

During the ensuing years, entropy continued.

While Moroun brought Quinn Evans in to stabilize the building "seven or eight" years ago, according to Hess, many of their recommendations were never implemented.

It's for this reason, among others, that he says he's excited about the project.

"It's a really magnificent opportunity to see Ford step in, to see Ford's vision, to be a part of that process," he said.

"Every architect has sort of a dream project if you will, having worked on this seven or eight years ago and seeing this come back to life now is one of those things you didn't actually think was going to happen," he said. "So for me personally this is a real thrill for my career."

Last week the Michigan Strategic Fund approved tax incentives totaling $207 million over 30 years for Ford to create its new mobility campus centered on the Michigan Central Station in Detroit.

Ford said it will invest $740 million into renovating the depot and transforming several other sites in the immediate Corktown district. The tax abatement will save Ford about $6.9 million annually over the 30-year period.

The City of Detroit approved abatements valued at $27 million over 12 years, in the form of the Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act. This will freeze the taxable value Ford's five Corktown properties at their current levels, even after rehabs and improvements are made.

An application for a Renaissance Zone has also been approved by Detroit City Council. This gives a company a 100-percent exemption for most property taxes for 12 years and allows them to not pay real and personal property taxes, as well as Detroit's city taxes on corporate income and utility users.

Allie Gross focuses on development, housing affordability, and income inequality. Contact Allie Gross at AEGross@freepress.com. Connect with her on Twitter @Allie_Elisabeth.