Today, more than five years after construction of the Mexicantown Mercado in southwest Detroit, the building at 2826 Bagley is finally springing back to life as the Ford Resource and Engagement Center.
Thanks to a $10-million commitment by the Ford Motor Company Fund, the center will provide an array of programs and services ranging from job training and language classes to dance lessons and a Gleaners food bank hub. Mayor Dave Bing, Ford Fund President Jim Vella and partners from nonprofit agencies will be on hand for a 4 p.m. event to mark the opening today.
Originally built in 2007 as city-backed welcome center and business incubator, the Mercado complex foundered as local businesses suffered amid delays and legal feuding over the Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project, and has been dormant since 2008.