People today have no idea what it was like to shop a massive department store, the sights and smells of the season. Looking at the seasonal window dressings, and the joy of just being there. You can’t get that from a computer screen and Amazon website. I tell my grandkids about the way things used to be, but they still have no idea. I’m just glad I have the memories, something they’ll never have.
i would love to go back to beginning of 1900 and for example go to Hudsons store and see what they have. Im so curious how the food tasted back in those times, what did they served in restuarants, how sweets tasted and other products. So curious.
Thanks for providing these great memories. When I worked in the Cadillac Tower Building in downtown Detroit in the 1970"s, I would really enjoy having a Maurice Salad at the mezzanine restaurant and then doing some shopping in the Men's Department. I also enjoyed being able to occasionally eat at the "Rainbow Room Restaurant" on the 13th Floor and in going up there admiring all the white-gloved elevator operators in their regal looking brass elevators. It's so sad that these now have to only be memories but I'm so glad to be able to have them.
I was always taken to their annual Doll Show because I loved dolls. My childhood collection was beautiful. I even had a cute baby boy doll dressed in power blue.
Thanks for sharing this. I grew up in NW burbs of Detroit, and going downtown to J.L. Hudson's shopping was a real treat. Loved their Maurice Salads. Their Maurice salad was to die for and loved it when they opened up a store at Northland Mall in Southfield, Michigan wherein they had a Marketplace that allowed you to buy containers of their famous dressing! Going up in the elevator was a real treat, wherein they had woman who would sit on a stool, close the gate and take you up to whatever floor you needed to go. The downtown store exuded class, wealth, quality of merchandise. The J. L. Hudson's store was truly a landmark for Detroit.
Thank you so much. Our family suffered a huge setback & I had to go to work in 1964. I was so honored to be hired at Hudson's. I trained at the downtown store, in one of the basement classrooms, and then was sent to Fairlane Town Center & worked in the men's department as an assistant manager. Hudson's saved our family from what could have led to homelessness or worse. I always loved shopping there & then to work there was an amazing blessing to us. Thanks for the memories.
I grew up in suburban Detroit, Pontiac and Southfield, to be specific. It was always an adventure going downtown to J.L. Hudson. Besides clothing I remember going to the Stamp and Coin Collection Department. My father would spend what seemed like hours buying supplies and trading for missing coins and stamps. When he walked in the people knew my father's name and his collections. They always seemed to have coins and stamps set aside for him. My cousin worked there as an interior decorator and as a buyer. I remember going to the interior design department for curtains, wallpaper and upholstery. When we moved from Pontiac to Southfield much of the the interior came from Hudson. I also remember standing in the cold to watch the Thanksgiving parade. July 4th always meant a trip to the riverfront to watch the fireworks, even though the fireworks came between Dominion Day (Canada) and Independence Day (US). We always went to an area across the railroad tracks and past the flour mill. Hudson was a special place with pneumatic tubes that seemed to go everywhere, elevators with operators, restaurants and the physical size. Thank you for the memories.
What a great video! I thank God I grew up in the 1950's when Hudsons was booming. It wasn't Christmas time until we went to Hudsons. There was a whole Winter Wonderland on one of the upper floors. As wide-eyed kids we wandered through a maze of white, fake snow, reindeers, white trees and more only to end up at a huge castle where we went in to see Santa Claus! After that, we got to go into a shop just for kids...even the door in was kid height only, where we bought a gift for our moms and dads, something like a wallet or a belt. Of course, on Thanksgiving day, every year, we watched the Hudsons holiday parade on TV, usually on WWJ-TV 4. It was a magical time to grow up. That's part of the "old days" I miss.
I too understand. My Wedding Dress was from their Bridal Room. Afterwards, my mother and I had our usual Maurice Salad then onward for her Mother of the Bride Dress. Afterward - we stopped to buy chocolate filberts to take home to our family,
J.L. Hudson's was where my grandmother would take me shopping 2-3 times a month. We would arrive when the store opened and spend the day shopping, starting on the top floor and stopping on every floor just to see what Hudson's had on sale. After that we would go across the street to the 5 and dime and have something to eat. When we ate at Hudson's, my grandmother would have the Maurice salad. I spent so much time at Hudson's growing up that when I became a young adult, I no longer enjoyed spending all day shopping (LOL). In 2012, I met the first African American female elevator operator who worked at Hudson's. She had so many interesting memories of her time working at Hudson's. It was at J.L. Hudson's I got the opportunity to sit on Santa's lap at the age of 5-6. Hudson's was such a unique store, and people would come across the bridge from Canada just to shop there. I have so many memories of downtown Detroit from 1950-1977.
Nancy Trusco Edwards J. L. Hudson was a shopping paradise for the many working in downtown Detroit. I spent many a lunch hour hurriedly passing through those front doors to experience that wonderland for shoppers. Hudsons will always be part of my happy, young working life memories in downtown Detroit. So much more could be said about it.
Great Video! My mom worked at J.L. Hudson's in the late 1940's. We parked and took a cab and went as a family during the Christmas Holiday to see the Winter WonderLand animated display and the toy floor. Many people to see the display and store. They had every train set and car slot car slot assembled on the walls. Also, the elevators had an operator for each elevator too. Many great memories - thanks for sharing.
So many wonderful memories of Hudsons, every Saturday going downtown with my grandparents. Learning my lady like manners eating lunch at the Hudson's restaurant, at 5 years old, eating a children's lunch and later Maurice Salad and their famous chicken pot pie. What a tremendous loss to the City when the building was demolished!
Thank you for making this film about a beloved part of so many lives. Also, does anyone remember that Hudson's had a kid's shopping week or two prior to Christmas where lots of gifts that were very low priced could be purchased by kids for their parents. Dad took us there every year to get something for mom.
I loved this place. We bought so much there. I remember them shipping me diapers to my home when I lived outside of Detroit. The Christmas display was unbelievable at that time.
I, worked for Hudson's Eastland Mall Store from 1975 until 1980. I, worked in the Men's Sports Wear Department 🏬. I, remember the Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Hudson's Fireworks 🎆. I, remember when Hudson's, became Marshall Field's and Macy's. Now, that Northland Mall has been demolished. Now, Eastland Mall is being demolished. But, at least I have memories of Hudson's Downtown Detroit and Eastland Mall in Harper Woods since I used to work at Hudson's Eastland.
Went their many times as a child and teenager. I am 81 and still renember that wonderful store and Kerns accross the street. , of course. Wall street move manufacturing out of Detroit and the Black riots destroyed the city and JL Hudson Became no more. HUDSON was class.
Wonderful and very truthful history of J.L. Hudson's. Now a little customer to the history and mix. First, you may not have run across ther fact of J.L.'s AIR CONDITIONING. If the stories are ture, the Detroit river was used to 'cool' the condensers [hint-the river is not close to the building]. Hudson's also made and sold some of the best chicken pot pies- no veggies, just white meat, cubed and thick gravy inside there own crispy flaky dough. One other thing, Hudson's would make deliveries, once in the mid-30's, they made a delivery that was just for a 25cent spool of thread, they made a life-long, die-hard customer back then. thank you, for the memories.
Having grown up in first Highland Park, then the suburbs. My Grandmother took me to Hudson’s downtown store often in my childhood. We rode the DSR bus on Woodward back and forth. Christmas was made exceptionally special because of this store. I would then go to work for JL Hudson’s. Doing a college internship in the buying office. What a great place to work!!!!!! RH Macy’s would recruit me away, little did we know it would all be Macys eventually. I have just retired from a 48 year career in retail management. OMG…. What a great career that started with Hudson’s!!!!!!!
People always talked about how great this place was! This was before my time I was a kid in the eighties and all I remember is The Hudson department store being abandon. I wish I could have experienced just how great this store was back in the day.
We used to take our kids downtown every year to see Santa Claus. It was an amazing day!! I still refer to Macy’s (and did Marshall Field’s) as Hudson’s!! So sad to have watched it going down!
My granny used to take me to JL Hudson's down on Woodward in Detroit she had my baby picture tooken it sat in one of the windows there lots of memories thank you for the memories grandma❤
Bravo. Well done. Good storyline, well told. I grew up with Hudsons, and watching the Thanksgiving parade was a highlight. The stores at Northland and then Oakland Mall and the other suburban malls, while not as grand by any stretch, were important anchors for the mall era which interestingly, has also now come and gone. Footnotes and sources would make it more credible and quotable. An important business lesson to learn is this. You may be on top today...but tomorrow may change everything upon which your business was founded. Those who adapt survive longer, but even that does not hold any guarantee to forever.
The only constant in life is change, but some change is not always for the better. Born in 1964, I remember it was a big deal to go shopping downtown, even tho my home town is very small compared to Detroit. The exterior & interior architecture was beautiful, the high ceilings, riding the art deco era elevators, floor walkers who seemed to know where every single item in the store was. Even so, photos of our downtown from the 20's - 40's showed many more elaborate structures existed than what I remember. Today retail stores are ugly sterile boxes. Shopping is no longer an event, just go, get stuff & leave. The mall that opened here in 1983 actually had a very nice interior with lots of potted trees & a nice fountain in the center court. All that was eventually removed, the interior sterilized to minimize maintenance and increase profits for the big corporate real estate company. The downtown area here is now mostly parking lots & multi story garages, the three big ugly office & research buildings all belong to a large corporation. Very little retail remains of what I remember from the early 70's.
Detroit is on a comeback. It would be great if a department store opened up in downtown Detroit, much like Hudson's. We have great Memories of J.L.Hudson's. Taking the bus downtown and going to Hudson's. It was magical at Christmas, where the kids were allowed on the special floor to go visit Santa, with all the decorations and moving costumed dolls.
Hmmm... I don't know about Detroit on a comeback. I have relatives there and that place still has lots of problems. The majority of the place is still in dire straits except for areas of downtown and Woodward ave.
@@MrFullService Dont be so "Judgy" when's the last time you took a drive down there? There are new condo's for half a million selling. People I know instead of moving North, are buying condo's down there. Alof of National Events are coming to Detroit. Grand Prix, SuperBowl, Soccer
Your gonna need a Hell Of Alot to Bring back for a Come Back🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Lets see well its J L Hudson and Woolworths and Montgomery Wards,SS Kresges and Vernors Faygo and Strohs factory the way they were back in the 1950s, also Boblo Island amusment Park and the Boblo Boats Columbia and St Clair, Cunninghams and Crowleys, Eastern Market circa 1970s, the D&C ( Detroit and Cleveland ) Great Lakes Passenger Service on those 600 feet Side Wheeler 3,000 passenger ships like the Cleveland II and Detroit III and Seeanbee, lets see Oh Yeah Belle Island circa 1950s and the US Royal Tire Company at the foot of Belle Island Bridge, also Packard,Oldsmobile,Pontiac,Plymouth and Mercury and Oh Yeah Cobo Hall circa 1960s and or 1970s, Detroit Lions Monty Clark ,Billy Sims,Windsor/Detroit Wrestling Dick the Bruiser,Wild Bo Curry,Bobo Brazil,The Sheik,Lord Layton, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day Football ala 1960s, Sanders Bakery,Cakes and other goodies,Park and Davies, Detroit Central Railroad Station, Fisher Body, Kellsey Hays, Twin Pines etc etc etc These are gone from Detroit has anything , """OF QUALITY REPLACED THEM""""🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 UHHH NO!!!!! not a single one🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
@@reneeg4501 Alot of people from Detroit and """MICHIGAN""" are moving """SOUTH""" not north, to """OHIO"" since starting our grocery shopping there since the pandemic ( everything got crazy here grocery stores closed or mask """RETARDATION"" so we went down to Toledo, better place city and state more open more """FREE""" Home of Bob Evans down on the Farm ) and after that flood 2 years ago which we are in a giant class action lawsuit, have met and talked to over 300 people who have moved from Detroit,Metro Detroit and Michigan, lost count after that , that have moved to Toledo and surrounding area like Rossford,Sylvania ,Perrysburg,Oregon etc, cheaper everything, auto insurance is like $600 a year,9 different cable services there unlike here just Comcast Xfinity, , $89 monthly you get Internet,Phone and 50 TV Channels, friendlier """NORMAL""' people,cleaner neighborhoods,better restaurants friendlier staff , better roads, better drivers not like the crazis we have in Detroit ( funny thing is the closer one gets to Ohio like Monroe County the more normal the people are more things to do in Sandusky Ohio than all of Michigan, grocery stores filled , Ohio has 10 times more farm land than Michigan, no flooding or power outages in Toledo like in Detroit, sewer system much much bigger better designed and cleaned twice a year, last time sewer system cleaned in my neighborhood was when Dennis Archer was mayor 1992. Have another fact to tell ya, Football is not like it use to be, ( and so are the other Sports) fewer people are watching it, because of sissy rules,uniforms and other """NONSENSE""" changes, SuperBowl has become StupidBowl, Grand Prix and Soccer are not a """DETROIT OR AMERICAN SYMBOL""", there are more kids and people playing into Slot Cars Aurora racing or Hot Wheels than watching Grand Prix, its ''''BORING"""😐😐😐😐😐 Soccer really Soccer, its an European Institution that Europeans are into not a true Blue American, like to see the crowds you got for these soccer games and have no idea where they are playing at, compare that to a 1960s crowds Lions vs Green Bay Packers Football Game or the Hockey Games at Cobo Hall back in the 1980s , Hell 1980s Monty Clarks Lions had probably more Fans with Billy Sims than this Soccer mumble jumbo . One of the main big differences in Ohio unlike Michigan, """THEY DON,T TEAR DOWN THERE HISTORIC BUILDINGS,HOMES ETC LIKE WE DO HERE AND PUT UP SOME SORT OF UGLY MODERN MONSTROCITY""" , like homes, they have rows and streets filled with nice sculptured with alot of different architecture style and painted homes dating back to the late 1870s that we do not have in Detroit or metro Detroit, most of the their homes and property we noticed .easily, sit a couple of feet """HIGHER""" than their streets, not so in many areas in City of Detroit. When we shop we get off on Alexis Road, down Douglas and than Laskey and sylvania stop at Rudys,Golden Coral ,Sams Pancake House on Secor and also go to Walmarts in Oregon drive thru the still running old Libbey Glass Plant make a left drive thru the old draw bridge over the Maumee than along Cherry street along the river than onto Navarre Rd, old section of Toledo still have brick streets in better condition than the road work done on I 75 south 3 years ago. No trash no graffiti, no burn,t out houses not even a single piece of paper.Also I would keep an eye on that Gordy Howe Bridge, they are having problems, they are not only behind in construction but financial problems , between Michigan and Canadian. There is also talk about Ohio building its own Bridge direct to Canada, via ship ferry truck train service that would save alot of cost,miles and time getting goods to Canada """FASTER AND CHEAPER"""than taking it to Detroit, specially from states like Ohio, PA, Indiana,Kentucky,Tenn,Florida, etc etc would make Ohio alot more $$$$$$$ than what Michigan would get , because first few years Michigan /Detroit would have to pay Canada off, most of the Bridge,material,work,etc is being financed by Canada, not Michigan.
@@richardrykala925 Wow, You're living way in the past. When's the last time you went to downtown Detroit? The reason why everyone is leaving Michigan is because it's a democratic run state. All they know to do is raise taxes, and now putting tolls on the freeways.
Went to Hudsons with mother as kid to get a waffle and ice cream sandwich and ride the street car. .In recent years I had a concession trailer built serving hot waffle/icecream sandwiches and traveled Michigan with a carnival. Was in the Detroit State Fair and was amazed how many people came up and commented that they havent had one since going to Hudsons as a kid. Every year at the fair same people came and got one and shared memories.
Beautiful Grand Department Store until the end. I had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful emporium only once when I was fifteen in 1981 and visited The Detroit Auto Show at Cobo Hall in March of that year with my Favourite Late Uncle. We visited HUDSON'S Woodward Avenue on one of the days and ate Lunch in The Riverview Room on the 14th Floor...I think!!! I had their Famous Maurice Salad and Chicken Pot Pie. I remember my Uncle having the Canadian Cheese Soup. I also remember the store had "downsized" to about eight floors by then. It still had the "Budget Basement"...and a Beautiful Book Department on one of The Mezzanine's...where my Uncle and I spent much of the afternoon as we were both big book lovers and loved Bookstores. Thanks for bringing back such beautiful memories. When I visit Michigan at least three times a year to visit cousins I always shop at my favourite ex HUDSON'S now a macy*s Flagship at Oakland Mall in Troy. It's around 300,000+ Square Feet and still has a nice Restaurant....The Lakeshore Grille which overlooks the mall. Thanks macy*s for keeping this store!👍
WOW... WHAT A GREAT STORY - J.L. HUDSON'S! WONDERFUL MEMORIES, GOING TO HUDSON'S HUGE STORE ON WOODWARD IN THE EARLY 1950'S, RIDING THE STREETCAR DOWN FORT ST. INTO DETROIT BEING DROPPED-OFF RIGHT NEAR HUDSON'S. THIS WAS ALWAYS CHRISTMAS TIME WITH SNOW EVERYWHERE AND CHILLING COLD, AND VISITING SANTA AT HUDSON'S IN A VERY BEAUTIFUL MAGICAL PART OF THE STORE. I LOVED HUDSON'S AND SHOPPED THERE THOURGH-OUT MY LIFE TIL HUDSON'S WAS NO MORE:((( WAS SO SAD WHEN HUDSON'S WAS GONE AND MISSED SHOPPING THERE.👋❤
This wonderful video brought back many happy memories of shopping for school clothes, my wedding gown- 7th floor, and many Christmas trips and pictures with Santa. There is one small error. The restaurant, named The Riverview Room, in the 50s and 60s, was on the 14th floor. There was no 13th floor!
Thank you for all the memories of J L Hudsons. I worked there from 1963 until 1972 and remember much of that era. You have one very important fact incorrect. Dayton's did not merge with Hudson's in 1969. It was in 1984. Cited here by Wikipedia: The store closed January 17, 1983 (at the nadir of downtown Detroit's decline). After closure, Hudson's maintained its headquarters staff of about 1,100 in the downtown store. In May 1984, The J. L. Hudson Co. formally merged into the Department Store Division of the Dayton Hudson Corp., although Hudson's stores continued to carry the Hudson's name. All executive and buying positions transferred to Minneapolis, and other staff moved to space at the Northland Center store in Southfield. The last corporate department in the downtown Detroit building, credit operations, moved in October 1986. Dayton Hudson sold the building in December 1989.
Hudson’s also built an automobile (see the movie “Driving Miss Daisy”). Their straight 6 could leave a Ford V8 in the rear view mirror. Dayton bought Hudson’s this became Dayton/Hudson’s which had a discount division. This started off as Hudson’s bargain basement which became Target!
Target was founded by Dayton's Department Store in 1962 in Minneapolis. Interestingly enough, that was the same year that Walmart and Kmart were founded.
Back when Detroit was bustling city. It takes me back to my childhood growing up in the city and I prefer those memories to what the city is now. What a pity.
I barely remember the large downtown stores in Toronto (Eaton's and Simpsons) and it was a similar, but smaller scale. I really miss such touchstones to our past. I realize that with the internet such stores would be a tough business to carry all that stock, but I can just see myself as a 10-year old at that model train display! Some of modern change is wonderful, but I miss such places and the comparative simplicity of those times. Thanks for the video.
Amazing story and largest store in the world. Now being replaced with one of the kargest skyscrapers in Michigan. The new building us state of art engineering and so beautiful. By the way, interesting that Hudson started the return policy, first in tne country to do so abd nany replicated. No wonder their standards were high.
Moved to California from Detroit in 1977, and was just visiting downtown. Actually I was looking for that building and saw the new development constructing.
It hurts my soul seeing these magnificent buildings and what once was. They don't build structures like this anymore. They were made me stand and they didn't cheap out on details. I learned of an amazing hotel near me, The Hotel Casey, in Scranton, PA. The corner mom and pop shops, that "1 stop shop", where you find everything from food to major appliances, locally owned and operated only to be put out of business by a Wal-Mart. The customer service is another that couldn't be beat. I love seeing what once was and it's great seeing these places saved but the majority shows a parking lot or empty lot, with pictures showing the ghost images of what stood there before. Scranton, PA has a lot of these buildings, the court house, federal building, a majority of state and county run offices are now housed in a lot of them. No one, besides historical committees, try their hardest to keep them standing but unless there's a bigger chapter, the towns knock them down.
Downtown Detroit is really a 'happening' place. Know a few people that are moving downtown to the new condo's there. On weekends, Lots of bands out on the corners, people crossing the street. Reminds me of a young Toronto. Dont' be so "judgy' unless you've been down there, or taken a drive and looked around. I admit the outskirts of Detroit need some improvements. I was born and grew up in "The City" now live in the 'burbs' but you'd be surprised how Detroit looks really nice.
Yes, Hudson's was in fact a skyscraper, the shortest of the city's six 400' -499' prewar buildings. The tower contributed to the city skyline, and the roof of the building had so many additions that its roof was a variable skyline of its own.
What have we done to allow the great department stores across the nation to disappear. In the South we had such stores as Rich's and Davison's in Atlanta and Titches in Dallas, TX, and Parisians in Birmingham, AL. What will be the next one to die because we no longer care.
We would take the bus down there to see Santa. I was terrified and peed on his lap, right through my corduroys. He was not so jolly then. I was there for it’s demolition, idiots had baby strollers right at the front who were engulfed by the wall of dust. Babies crying, parents screaming in fear... a real mess. I rode off on my skateboard and had a beer at Niki’s.
It WAS 1969!!! In 2001 the HUDSON'S and DAYTON'S names ceased to exist when TARGET Corporation merged them into the Marshall Field's moniker, as it was the oldest and most famous of the three names dating from 1852 in Chicago.
Recollections channel brought me here. I actually worked at the Downtown Hudson HQ from 1981 until 1987, on the 11th Floor Check and Charge Authorization Dept, our windows over looked Woodward and North we were there a few more years until they transfered the calls from CompuCheck , the company Hudson had to authorize check and charge purchases, still have plenty of the papers we had to write that down, number 2 was Northland,3 was Eastland,18 was Fairlane, 6 was Pontiac, 10 was Oakland Mall, 23 or 25 was Lansing, 14 Flint etc etc , wrote down the name,Drivers Lic Number, Check number and punched that info, just the DL,check number and store location on a small phone size computer, it would come back in Green Letters either Denied or Approved Denied Code 11 etc etc something like that. By the last year or 2 we were just getting calls from half a dozen stores, spent time riding those 1920s air compressed elevators with all the brass fixtures handles and folding black gate before the brass doors opened, went a few floors above us and saw stuff from the 1940s,50s and 60s that were never sold or returned, Televisions,Furniture, Gym Equipment,Boxing Gloves,Baseball mits, even a old sauna steamer that you would go in and close it like in those old three stooges films. Remember the older black ladies running the elevators, charming and nice and polite and uniformed not like todays kids, same with the lunch room on the menazine floor, remember the nice uniformed waitress and the good food and Oh My those antique wooden booths with brass fixtures. Too bad they tore it down, nothing wrong with the building, had alot of beautiful brass water fountains that the Security people that worked there stole including the brass trimmings along the escalators, alot of very valuable materials highly styled architecture, people back than had style ,class and quality, these days is no style no class ugliness and crappy material junk quality, all that is reflectd in our Society. And to those that say that Detroit is coming back, ?????? coming back from what to what, Does it have a Hudsons, No does it have a Woolworths No does it have a Kresges No does it have a Montgomery Wards No does it have a Boblo Island Amusement Park No, does it have any Great Lakes Passenger Services like the once D & C Line NO!!!! does it have a Pontiac No does it have a Oldsmobile No does it have a Packard No does it have a Plymouth No does it has Cobo Hall No does it have a once great Factory Iconic symbol like Vernors and Faygo and Strohs had once NO!!!!! does it have a great Railroad Passenger Station NO!!!! does it have population of 1.5 Million NO!!!!!! current actual population is 449,000 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ohhhhhhhhhhh, IF ONLYYYYYYYYYYY the HORRIBLY CHEAP & AMORAL owners who owned the building after Hudsons' closed had put the money into JUST KEEPING THE BUILDING weatherproof and SAFE & DRY then it'd STILL BE STANDING and would be a PARAGON of fabulous, historical architecture and an irreplaceable, national GEM. It would've made hundreds, if not thousands of FANTASTIC condos, apartments, studios and incredible new retail, office and mixed use spaces. 😭😭😭
You can’t take an old building and easily make it a livable space. It was built for commercial use, would have been the cost of 7 new ones to Doit. Same reason Fords old Glass headquarters in Dearborn got dismantled.
as a gen z libtard commie this breaks my heart so bad man, you dont see capitalism doing this kind of thing anymore, management just kept investing money on the store for the sake of being cool and i love that
Want more Memory Mountain? Check out the inspiring stories at youtube.com/@MemoryMountainSports!
People today have no idea what it was like to shop a massive department store, the sights and smells of the season. Looking at the seasonal window dressings, and the joy of just being there. You can’t get that from a computer screen and Amazon website. I tell my grandkids about the way things used to be, but they still have no idea. I’m just glad I have the memories, something they’ll never have.
You are so right!
i would love to go back to beginning of 1900 and for example go to Hudsons store and see what they have. Im so curious how the food tasted back in those times, what did they served in restuarants, how sweets tasted and other products. So curious.
We spent many Saturday’s at JL Hudson’s ! Fabulous place and memories galore!
Thanks for providing these great memories. When I worked in the Cadillac Tower Building in downtown Detroit in the 1970"s, I would really enjoy having a Maurice Salad at the mezzanine restaurant and then doing some shopping in the Men's Department. I also enjoyed being able to occasionally eat at the "Rainbow Room Restaurant" on the 13th Floor and in going up there admiring all the white-gloved elevator operators in their regal looking brass elevators. It's so sad that these now have to only be memories but I'm so glad to be able to have them.
I was always taken to their annual Doll Show because I loved dolls. My childhood collection was beautiful. I even had a cute baby boy doll dressed in power blue.
Thanks for sharing this. I grew up in NW burbs of Detroit, and going downtown to J.L. Hudson's shopping was a real treat. Loved their Maurice Salads. Their Maurice salad was to die for and loved it when they opened up a store at Northland Mall in Southfield, Michigan wherein they had a Marketplace that allowed you to buy containers of their famous dressing! Going up in the elevator was a real treat, wherein they had woman who would sit on a stool, close the gate and take you up to whatever floor you needed to go. The downtown store exuded class, wealth, quality of merchandise. The J. L. Hudson's store was truly a landmark for Detroit.
Thank you so much. Our family suffered a huge setback & I had to go to work in 1964. I was so honored to be hired at Hudson's. I trained at the downtown store, in one of the basement classrooms, and then was sent to Fairlane Town Center & worked in the men's department as an assistant manager. Hudson's saved our family from what could have led to homelessness or worse. I always loved shopping there & then to work there was an amazing blessing to us. Thanks for the memories.
I am so happy I got to experience shopping at Hudson's
I grew up in suburban Detroit, Pontiac and Southfield, to be specific. It was always an adventure going downtown to J.L. Hudson. Besides clothing I remember going to the Stamp and Coin Collection Department. My father would spend what seemed like hours buying supplies and trading for missing coins and stamps. When he walked in the people knew my father's name and his collections. They always seemed to have coins and stamps set aside for him.
My cousin worked there as an interior decorator and as a buyer. I remember going to the interior design department for curtains, wallpaper and upholstery. When we moved from Pontiac to Southfield much of the the interior came from Hudson.
I also remember standing in the cold to watch the Thanksgiving parade. July 4th always meant a trip to the riverfront to watch the fireworks, even though the fireworks came between Dominion Day (Canada) and Independence Day (US). We always went to an area across the railroad tracks and past the flour mill.
Hudson was a special place with pneumatic tubes that seemed to go everywhere, elevators with operators, restaurants and the physical size.
Thank you for the memories.
Thanks for the memories of a time when Detroit was a bustling metropolis of activity. I loved shopping and eating at Hudson's.
What a great video! I thank God I grew up in the 1950's when Hudsons was booming. It wasn't Christmas time until we went to Hudsons. There was a whole Winter Wonderland on one of the upper floors. As wide-eyed kids we wandered through a maze of white, fake snow, reindeers, white trees and more only to end up at a huge castle where we went in to see Santa Claus! After that, we got to go into a shop just for kids...even the door in was kid height only, where we bought a gift for our moms and dads, something like a wallet or a belt. Of course, on Thanksgiving day, every year, we watched the Hudsons holiday parade on TV, usually on WWJ-TV 4. It was a magical time to grow up. That's part of the "old days" I miss.
I too understand. My Wedding Dress was from their Bridal Room. Afterwards, my mother and I had our usual Maurice Salad then onward for her Mother of the Bride Dress. Afterward - we stopped to buy chocolate filberts to take home to our family,
J.L. Hudson's was where my grandmother would take me shopping 2-3 times a month. We would arrive
when the store opened and spend the day shopping, starting on the top floor and stopping on every
floor just to see what Hudson's had on sale. After that we would go across the street to the 5 and dime
and have something to eat. When we ate at Hudson's, my grandmother would have the Maurice salad. I
spent so much time at Hudson's growing up that when I became a young adult, I no longer enjoyed
spending all day shopping (LOL). In 2012, I met the first African American female elevator operator who
worked at Hudson's. She had so many interesting memories of her time working at Hudson's. It was at
J.L. Hudson's I got the opportunity to sit on Santa's lap at the age of 5-6. Hudson's was such a unique
store, and people would come across the bridge from Canada just to shop there. I have so many memories
of downtown Detroit from 1950-1977.
WOW!!
Nancy Trusco Edwards
J. L. Hudson was a shopping paradise for the many working in downtown Detroit. I spent many a lunch hour hurriedly passing through those front doors to experience that wonderland for shoppers. Hudsons will always be part of my happy, young working life memories in downtown Detroit. So much more could be said about it.
Great Video! My mom worked at J.L. Hudson's in the late 1940's. We parked and took a cab and went as a family during the Christmas Holiday to see the Winter WonderLand animated display and the toy floor. Many people to see the display and store. They had every train set and car slot car slot assembled on the walls. Also, the elevators had an operator for each elevator too. Many great memories - thanks for sharing.
So many wonderful memories of Hudsons, every Saturday going downtown with my grandparents. Learning my lady like manners eating lunch at the Hudson's restaurant, at 5 years old, eating a children's lunch and later Maurice Salad and their famous chicken pot pie.
What a tremendous loss to the City when the building was demolished!
You can thank Mayor Dennis Archer for that.
Thank you for making this film about a beloved part of so many lives. Also, does anyone remember that Hudson's had a kid's shopping week or two prior to Christmas where lots of gifts that were very low priced could be purchased by kids for their parents. Dad took us there every year to get something for mom.
I remember that. It was magical.
I totally remember the kid's store 😊
I loved this place. We bought so much there. I remember them shipping me diapers to my home when I lived outside of Detroit. The Christmas display was unbelievable at that time.
I, worked for Hudson's Eastland Mall Store from 1975 until 1980. I, worked in the Men's Sports Wear Department 🏬. I, remember the Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Hudson's Fireworks 🎆. I, remember when Hudson's, became Marshall Field's and Macy's. Now, that Northland Mall has been demolished. Now, Eastland Mall is being demolished. But, at least I have memories of Hudson's Downtown Detroit and Eastland Mall in Harper Woods since I used to work at Hudson's Eastland.
Excellent documentary, Thanks! Remeber it well as a kid.
My mom and I would take the bus and go to Hudson’s ! Such great memories ! ❤
Went their many times as a child and teenager. I am 81 and still renember that wonderful store and Kerns accross the street. , of course. Wall street move manufacturing out of Detroit and the Black riots destroyed the city and JL Hudson Became no more. HUDSON was class.
Wonderful and very truthful history of J.L. Hudson's.
Now a little customer to the history and mix.
First, you may not have run across ther fact of J.L.'s AIR CONDITIONING. If the stories are ture, the Detroit river was used to 'cool' the condensers [hint-the river is not close to the building]. Hudson's also made and sold some of the best chicken pot pies- no veggies, just white meat, cubed and thick gravy inside there own crispy flaky dough.
One other thing, Hudson's would make deliveries, once in the mid-30's, they made a delivery that was just for a 25cent spool of thread, they made a life-long, die-hard customer back then.
thank you, for the memories.
Having grown up in first Highland Park, then the suburbs. My Grandmother took me to Hudson’s downtown store often in my childhood. We rode the DSR bus on Woodward back and forth. Christmas was made exceptionally special because of this store. I would then go to work for JL Hudson’s. Doing a college internship in the buying office. What a great place to work!!!!!! RH Macy’s would recruit me away, little did we know it would all be Macys eventually. I have just retired from a 48 year career in retail management. OMG…. What a great career that started with Hudson’s!!!!!!!
I remember going to Hudsons with my grandmother in the 60s we would stop at Sanders to share a Cream Puff with chocolate sauce on top.
People always talked about how great this place was! This was before my time I was a kid in the eighties and all I remember is The Hudson department store being abandon. I wish I could have experienced just how great this store was back in the day.
We used to take our kids downtown every year to see Santa Claus. It was an amazing day!! I still refer to Macy’s (and did Marshall Field’s) as Hudson’s!! So sad to have watched it going down!
My granny used to take me to JL Hudson's down on Woodward in Detroit she had my baby picture tooken it sat in one of the windows there lots of memories thank you for the memories grandma❤
I think everyone had they baby pictures done by Hudsons
Bravo. Well done. Good storyline, well told.
I grew up with Hudsons, and watching the Thanksgiving parade was a highlight. The stores at Northland and then Oakland Mall and the other suburban malls, while not as grand by any stretch, were important anchors for the mall era which interestingly, has also now come and gone.
Footnotes and sources would make it more credible and quotable.
An important business lesson to learn is this. You may be on top today...but tomorrow may change everything upon which your business was founded. Those who adapt survive longer, but even that does not hold any guarantee to forever.
I loved this store, my mom took me there as a kid. We took our kids there to, this place had everything. Christmas was amazing.
This is amazing...thank you!
The only constant in life is change, but some change is not always for the better. Born in 1964, I remember it was a big deal to go shopping downtown, even tho my home town is very small compared to Detroit. The exterior & interior architecture was beautiful, the high ceilings, riding the art deco era elevators, floor walkers who seemed to know where every single item in the store was. Even so, photos of our downtown from the 20's - 40's showed many more elaborate structures existed than what I remember. Today retail stores are ugly sterile boxes. Shopping is no longer an event, just go, get stuff & leave. The mall that opened here in 1983 actually had a very nice interior with lots of potted trees & a nice fountain in the center court. All that was eventually removed, the interior sterilized to minimize maintenance and increase profits for the big corporate real estate company. The downtown area here is now mostly parking lots & multi story garages, the three big ugly office & research buildings all belong to a large corporation. Very little retail remains of what I remember from the early 70's.
REMARKABLE story. Thank you!
Thank you for the video. That was very impressive and informative. I was 16 when the building was imploded. I remember that day.
Detroit is on a comeback. It would be great if a department store opened up in downtown Detroit, much like Hudson's. We have great Memories of J.L.Hudson's. Taking the bus downtown and going to Hudson's. It was magical at Christmas, where the kids were allowed on the special floor to go visit Santa, with all the decorations and moving costumed dolls.
Hmmm... I don't know about Detroit on a comeback. I have relatives there and that place still has lots of problems. The majority of the place is still in dire straits except for areas of downtown and Woodward ave.
@@MrFullService Dont be so "Judgy" when's the last time you took a drive down there? There are new condo's for half a million selling. People I know instead of moving North, are buying condo's down there. Alof of National Events are coming to Detroit. Grand Prix, SuperBowl, Soccer
Your gonna need a Hell Of Alot to Bring back for a Come Back🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Lets see well its J L Hudson and Woolworths and Montgomery Wards,SS Kresges and Vernors Faygo and Strohs factory the way they were back in the 1950s, also Boblo Island amusment Park and the Boblo Boats Columbia and St Clair, Cunninghams and Crowleys, Eastern Market circa 1970s, the D&C ( Detroit and Cleveland ) Great Lakes Passenger Service on those 600 feet Side Wheeler 3,000 passenger ships like the Cleveland II and Detroit III and Seeanbee, lets see Oh Yeah Belle Island circa 1950s and the US Royal Tire Company at the foot of Belle Island Bridge, also Packard,Oldsmobile,Pontiac,Plymouth and Mercury and Oh Yeah Cobo Hall circa 1960s and or 1970s, Detroit Lions Monty Clark ,Billy Sims,Windsor/Detroit Wrestling Dick the Bruiser,Wild Bo Curry,Bobo Brazil,The Sheik,Lord Layton, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day Football ala 1960s, Sanders Bakery,Cakes and other goodies,Park and Davies, Detroit Central Railroad Station, Fisher Body, Kellsey Hays, Twin Pines etc etc etc These are gone from Detroit has anything , """OF QUALITY REPLACED THEM""""🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 UHHH NO!!!!! not a single one🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
@@reneeg4501 Alot of people from Detroit and """MICHIGAN""" are moving """SOUTH""" not north, to """OHIO"" since starting our grocery shopping there since the pandemic ( everything got crazy here grocery stores closed or mask """RETARDATION"" so we went down to Toledo, better place city and state more open more """FREE""" Home of Bob Evans down on the Farm ) and after that flood 2 years ago which we are in a giant class action lawsuit, have met and talked to over 300 people who have moved from Detroit,Metro Detroit and Michigan, lost count after that , that have moved to Toledo and surrounding area like Rossford,Sylvania ,Perrysburg,Oregon etc, cheaper everything, auto insurance is like $600 a year,9 different cable services there unlike here just Comcast Xfinity, , $89 monthly you get Internet,Phone and 50 TV Channels, friendlier """NORMAL""' people,cleaner neighborhoods,better restaurants friendlier staff , better roads, better drivers not like the crazis we have in Detroit ( funny thing is the closer one gets to Ohio like Monroe County the more normal the people are more things to do in Sandusky Ohio than all of Michigan, grocery stores filled , Ohio has 10 times more farm land than Michigan, no flooding or power outages in Toledo like in Detroit, sewer system much much bigger better designed and cleaned twice a year, last time sewer system cleaned in my neighborhood was when Dennis Archer was mayor 1992. Have another fact to tell ya, Football is not like it use to be, ( and so are the other Sports) fewer people are watching it, because of sissy rules,uniforms and other """NONSENSE""" changes, SuperBowl has become StupidBowl, Grand Prix and Soccer are not a """DETROIT OR AMERICAN SYMBOL""", there are more kids and people playing into Slot Cars Aurora racing or Hot Wheels than watching Grand Prix, its ''''BORING"""😐😐😐😐😐 Soccer really Soccer, its an European Institution that Europeans are into not a true Blue American, like to see the crowds you got for these soccer games and have no idea where they are playing at, compare that to a 1960s crowds Lions vs Green Bay Packers Football Game or the Hockey Games at Cobo Hall back in the 1980s , Hell 1980s Monty Clarks Lions had probably more Fans with Billy Sims than this Soccer mumble jumbo . One of the main big differences in Ohio unlike Michigan, """THEY DON,T TEAR DOWN THERE HISTORIC BUILDINGS,HOMES ETC LIKE WE DO HERE AND PUT UP SOME SORT OF UGLY MODERN MONSTROCITY""" , like homes, they have rows and streets filled with nice sculptured with alot of different architecture style and painted homes dating back to the late 1870s that we do not have in Detroit or metro Detroit, most of the their homes and property we noticed .easily, sit a couple of feet """HIGHER""" than their streets, not so in many areas in City of Detroit. When we shop we get off on Alexis Road, down Douglas and than Laskey and sylvania stop at Rudys,Golden Coral ,Sams Pancake House on Secor and also go to Walmarts in Oregon drive thru the still running old Libbey Glass Plant make a left drive thru the old draw bridge over the Maumee than along Cherry street along the river than onto Navarre Rd, old section of Toledo still have brick streets in better condition than the road work done on I 75 south 3 years ago. No trash no graffiti, no burn,t out houses not even a single piece of paper.Also I would keep an eye on that Gordy Howe Bridge, they are having problems, they are not only behind in construction but financial problems , between Michigan and Canadian. There is also talk about Ohio building its own Bridge direct to Canada, via ship ferry truck train service that would save alot of cost,miles and time getting goods to Canada """FASTER AND CHEAPER"""than taking it to Detroit, specially from states like Ohio, PA, Indiana,Kentucky,Tenn,Florida, etc etc would make Ohio alot more $$$$$$$ than what Michigan would get , because first few years Michigan /Detroit would have to pay Canada off, most of the Bridge,material,work,etc is being financed by Canada, not Michigan.
@@richardrykala925 Wow, You're living way in the past. When's the last time you went to downtown Detroit? The reason why everyone is leaving Michigan is because it's a democratic run state. All they know to do is raise taxes, and now putting tolls on the freeways.
Thank you for this. I remember it vividly
Went to Hudsons with mother as kid to get a waffle and ice cream sandwich and ride the street car. .In recent years I had a concession trailer built serving hot waffle/icecream sandwiches and traveled Michigan with a carnival. Was in the Detroit State Fair and was amazed how many people came up and commented that they havent had one since going to Hudsons as a kid. Every year at the fair same people came and got one and shared memories.
Beautiful Grand Department Store until the end. I had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful emporium only once when I was fifteen in 1981 and visited The Detroit Auto Show at Cobo Hall in March of that year with my Favourite Late Uncle. We visited HUDSON'S Woodward Avenue on one of the days and ate Lunch in The Riverview Room on the 14th Floor...I think!!! I had their Famous Maurice Salad and Chicken Pot Pie. I remember my Uncle having the Canadian Cheese Soup. I also remember the store had "downsized" to about eight floors by then. It still had the "Budget Basement"...and a Beautiful Book Department on one of The Mezzanine's...where my Uncle and I spent much of the afternoon as we were both big book lovers and loved Bookstores. Thanks for bringing back such beautiful memories. When I visit Michigan at least three times a year to visit cousins I always shop at my favourite ex HUDSON'S now a macy*s Flagship at Oakland Mall in Troy. It's around 300,000+ Square Feet and still has a nice Restaurant....The Lakeshore Grille which overlooks the mall. Thanks macy*s for keeping this store!👍
WOW!! I am 39 and don't remember this store, but I do remember hearing about it so I came online to see what I could find. This is unreal! 25 floors?!
Very interesting!
WOW... WHAT A GREAT STORY - J.L. HUDSON'S! WONDERFUL MEMORIES, GOING TO HUDSON'S HUGE STORE ON WOODWARD IN THE EARLY 1950'S, RIDING THE STREETCAR DOWN FORT ST. INTO DETROIT BEING DROPPED-OFF RIGHT NEAR HUDSON'S. THIS WAS ALWAYS CHRISTMAS TIME WITH SNOW EVERYWHERE AND CHILLING COLD, AND VISITING SANTA AT HUDSON'S IN A VERY BEAUTIFUL MAGICAL PART OF THE STORE. I LOVED HUDSON'S AND SHOPPED THERE THOURGH-OUT MY LIFE TIL HUDSON'S WAS NO MORE:((( WAS SO SAD WHEN HUDSON'S WAS GONE AND MISSED SHOPPING THERE.👋❤
This wonderful video brought back many happy memories of shopping for school clothes, my wedding gown- 7th floor, and many Christmas trips and pictures with Santa. There is one small error. The restaurant, named The Riverview Room, in the 50s and 60s, was on the 14th floor. There was no 13th floor!
BAD LUCK FLOOR!
Thank you for all the memories of J L Hudsons. I worked there from 1963 until 1972 and remember much of that era. You have one very important fact incorrect. Dayton's did not merge with Hudson's in 1969. It was in 1984. Cited here by Wikipedia:
The store closed January 17, 1983 (at the nadir of downtown Detroit's decline).
After closure, Hudson's maintained its headquarters staff of about 1,100 in the downtown store. In May 1984, The J. L. Hudson Co. formally merged into the Department Store Division of the Dayton Hudson Corp., although Hudson's stores continued to carry the Hudson's name. All executive and buying positions transferred to Minneapolis, and other staff moved to space at the Northland Center store in Southfield. The last corporate department in the downtown Detroit building, credit operations, moved in October 1986. Dayton Hudson sold the building in December 1989.
I remember the 2 story top floor that was set up for Christmas with a few kids rides,and of course the neat parking garage as well
I remember a train ride during Christmas on the toy floor
Hudson’s also built an automobile (see the movie “Driving Miss Daisy”). Their straight 6 could leave a Ford V8 in the rear view mirror. Dayton bought Hudson’s this became Dayton/Hudson’s which had a discount division. This started off as Hudson’s bargain basement which became Target!
You can see how this all evolved.
Target was founded by Dayton's Department Store in 1962 in Minneapolis. Interestingly enough, that was the same year that Walmart and Kmart were founded.
Back when Detroit was bustling city. It takes me back to my childhood growing up in the city and I prefer those memories to what the city is now. What a pity.
I barely remember the large downtown stores in Toronto (Eaton's and Simpsons) and it was a similar, but smaller scale. I really miss such touchstones to our past. I realize that with the internet such stores would be a tough business to carry all that stock, but I can just see myself as a 10-year old at that model train display! Some of modern change is wonderful, but I miss such places and the comparative simplicity of those times. Thanks for the video.
Amazing story and largest store in the world. Now being replaced with one of the kargest skyscrapers in Michigan. The new building us state of art engineering and so beautiful. By the way, interesting that Hudson started the return policy, first in tne country to do so abd nany replicated. No wonder their standards were high.
I loved downtown Hudson’s. Thanks for posting. I never knew the store history.
Should’ve kept it standing and renovated it into apartments… imagine taking those beautiful elevators up/down to your floor everyday
Remember the Christmas decorations with the animated elves where you rode on a sleigh through a magical village to get to Santa?
Moved to California from Detroit in 1977, and was just visiting downtown. Actually I was looking for that building and saw the new development constructing.
It hurts my soul seeing these magnificent buildings and what once was. They don't build structures like this anymore. They were made me stand and they didn't cheap out on details. I learned of an amazing hotel near me, The Hotel Casey, in Scranton, PA. The corner mom and pop shops, that "1 stop shop", where you find everything from food to major appliances, locally owned and operated only to be put out of business by a Wal-Mart. The customer service is another that couldn't be beat. I love seeing what once was and it's great seeing these places saved but the majority shows a parking lot or empty lot, with pictures showing the ghost images of what stood there before. Scranton, PA has a lot of these buildings, the court house, federal building, a majority of state and county run offices are now housed in a lot of them. No one, besides historical committees, try their hardest to keep them standing but unless there's a bigger chapter, the towns knock them down.
In Richmond, we had Miller & Rhodes. Gone too. Christmas was special with the store windows done up in festival.
Wow wish store's were still like this
I miss the Hudson's that existed at Franklin Park Mall in Toledo, OH.
I love JL Hudsons and used to eat on the 13th floor since no other building had a 13th floor.
It was mayor Dennis Archer who, in 1998 insisted that the J. L. Hudson building be demolished.
I've been in that before. It was HUGE.
Sad when they brought it down!
Downtown Detroit is really a 'happening' place. Know a few people that are moving downtown to the new condo's there. On weekends, Lots of bands out on the corners, people crossing the street. Reminds me of a young Toronto. Dont' be so "judgy' unless you've been down there, or taken a drive and looked around. I admit the outskirts of Detroit need some improvements. I was born and grew up in "The City" now live in the 'burbs' but you'd be surprised how Detroit looks really nice.
What made you move to the burbs?
Beautiful photos. But what really stands out is another store that MACYS bought out and then eliminated (the competition).
My mom was a buyer for ‘better dresses’ in the late 40’s and early 50’s.
The Memories there, it should have been kept and refurbished into Condo and shops like alotnof old buildings..
Hudsons in Detroit is similar to Macys in New York.
400 ft qualifies it as a skyscraper.
Yes, Hudson's was in fact a skyscraper, the shortest of the city's six 400' -499' prewar buildings. The tower contributed to the city skyline, and the roof of the building had so many additions that its roof was a variable skyline of its own.
❤
Closed in 1983
As went Hudson's, so went Detroit. What a shame.
I, also agree with your comment 👍
I never knew that it was tallest department store in the world.
Not sure why he didnt mention or show in the video but this is whats in place of the building now ua-cam.com/video/lBIzf7dm4z0/v-deo.html
What have we done to allow the great department stores across the nation to disappear. In the South we had such stores as Rich's and Davison's in Atlanta and Titches in Dallas, TX, and Parisians in Birmingham, AL. What will be the next one to die because we no longer care.
We would take the bus down there to see Santa. I was terrified and peed on his lap, right through my corduroys. He was not so jolly then. I was there for it’s demolition, idiots had baby strollers right at the front who were engulfed by the wall of dust. Babies crying, parents screaming in fear... a real mess. I rode off on my skateboard and had a beer at Niki’s.
I think it was 1989 when Daytons bought them out
It WAS 1969!!! In 2001 the HUDSON'S and DAYTON'S names ceased to exist when TARGET Corporation merged them into the Marshall Field's moniker, as it was the oldest and most famous of the three names dating from 1852 in Chicago.
How very sad...
Recollections channel brought me here. I actually worked at the Downtown Hudson HQ from 1981 until 1987, on the 11th Floor Check and Charge Authorization Dept, our windows over looked Woodward and North we were there a few more years until they transfered the calls from CompuCheck , the company Hudson had to authorize check and charge purchases, still have plenty of the papers we had to write that down, number 2 was Northland,3 was Eastland,18 was Fairlane, 6 was Pontiac, 10 was Oakland Mall, 23 or 25 was Lansing, 14 Flint etc etc , wrote down the name,Drivers Lic Number, Check number and punched that info, just the DL,check number and store location on a small phone size computer, it would come back in Green Letters either Denied or Approved Denied Code 11 etc etc something like that. By the last year or 2 we were just getting calls from half a dozen stores, spent time riding those 1920s air compressed elevators with all the brass fixtures handles and folding black gate before the brass doors opened, went a few floors above us and saw stuff from the 1940s,50s and 60s that were never sold or returned, Televisions,Furniture, Gym Equipment,Boxing Gloves,Baseball mits, even a old sauna steamer that you would go in and close it like in those old three stooges films. Remember the older black ladies running the elevators, charming and nice and polite and uniformed not like todays kids, same with the lunch room on the menazine floor, remember the nice uniformed waitress and the good food and Oh My those antique wooden booths with brass fixtures. Too bad they tore it down, nothing wrong with the building, had alot of beautiful brass water fountains that the Security people that worked there stole including the brass trimmings along the escalators, alot of very valuable materials highly styled architecture, people back than had style ,class and quality, these days is no style no class ugliness and crappy material junk quality, all that is reflectd in our Society. And to those that say that Detroit is coming back, ?????? coming back from what to what, Does it have a Hudsons, No does it have a Woolworths No does it have a Kresges No does it have a Montgomery Wards No does it have a Boblo Island Amusement Park No, does it have any Great Lakes Passenger Services like the once D & C Line NO!!!! does it have a Pontiac No does it have a Oldsmobile No does it have a Packard No does it have a Plymouth No does it has Cobo Hall No does it have a once great Factory Iconic symbol like Vernors and Faygo and Strohs had once NO!!!!! does it have a great Railroad Passenger Station NO!!!! does it have population of 1.5 Million NO!!!!!! current actual population is 449,000 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ohhhhhhhhhhh, IF ONLYYYYYYYYYYY the HORRIBLY CHEAP & AMORAL owners who owned the building after Hudsons' closed had put the money into JUST KEEPING THE BUILDING weatherproof and SAFE & DRY then it'd STILL BE STANDING and would be a PARAGON of fabulous, historical architecture and an irreplaceable, national GEM. It would've made hundreds, if not thousands of FANTASTIC condos, apartments, studios and incredible new retail, office and mixed use spaces. 😭😭😭
You can’t take an old building and easily make it a livable space. It was built for commercial use, would have been the cost of 7 new ones to Doit. Same reason Fords old Glass headquarters in Dearborn got dismantled.
as a gen z libtard commie this breaks my heart so bad man, you dont see capitalism doing this kind of thing anymore, management just kept investing money on the store for the sake of being cool and i love that