Copyright M Live Michigan
ANN ARBOR, MI — Could random noises and fallen glasses be due to paranormal activity at a historic Ann Arbor restaurant? Maybe. Gandy Dancer, 401 Depot St., has been rumored as a haunted location over the years due to its connection to fallen World War II heroes transported through the train depot behind the restaurant. Danielle Crossley, general manager, doesn’t know if it’s haunted, though she’s had some suspicious experiences there at night. Crossley recalls times she heard sounds even after the restaurant, a former railroad depot, closed for the day and no one else was around. The sounds usually come from the Wolverine Room in the back of the restaurant, Crossley reports. “It’s scary, sometimes you go, ‘hey, who’s in here?’ and then a random freight train will blast by,” Crossley, 40, said. The Ann Arbor News archives reveal the site now known as the Wolverine Room at the back of the restaurant was a baggage room for bodies from World War II. Cement pillars anchoring the building came from the original station, Crossley said. Crossley, who has worked at Gandy Dancer since 2005, said although she has not seen any ghosts, she has heard random squeaks and bops. She said she also notices glasses occasionally falling off shelves even though no train has driven by and no one is around. Jeff Lee, 51, said he is a regular patron and has never had a paranormal experience at the Gandy Dancer. “We sat by the window and we got to see a train come by as we were having dinner,” Lee, an Ypsilanti resident, said. “It’s a unique experience, not just the food but the ambience.” The Romanesque-style building sits along the railroad tracks between the restaurant and Broadway Park and shakes when a train passes at night because of its speed. What was once the Michigan Central Depot, built in 1886 and opened in 1887, was converted in 1970 into the upscale seafood restaurant, which today has something of an eerie, dark, gothic vibe. The former railroad station eased travel to Detroit, according to a restaurant pamphlet explaining the site’s history. Thirteen daily trains traveling from Detroit to Chicago stopped by the depot in 1915. The station experienced heavy and consistent traffic, even during World War II. Rail traffic slowed down nationally in the 1960s and 1970s, and Chuck Muer, a restaurateur, purchased the depot. He is credited as the founder of Gandy Dancer. The restaurant was one of the first fine-dining restaurants in Ann Arbor when it opened, according to Crossley. Its Wolverine Room was a prominent area for diners, Crossley said. Former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler had a standing reservation after every game, according to Crossley. Some of the light fixtures in the main dining room contain glass dating back to the restaurant’s opening in 1970 and earlier. An old scale dating back to World War II remains in the room. Crossley said the scale was used to weigh freight baggage. She said she suspects the odd sounds come from the old scale, but no one is in the room when she hears them. Today, restaurant staff host private events in the room, such as weddings and baby showers. Many diners request to sit in the Wolverine Room, Crossley said.
