Detroit's department stores

[iheartthed]

Does downtown Detroit have any structures left standing that were once department stores?

This question was inspired by the Wanamaker Building/Macy's discussion in the Philadelphia population thread.

[daddeeo]

I don't know about downtown but there are a couple at Grand River and Greenfield.

[iheartthed]

I don't know about downtown but there are a couple at Grand River and Greenfield.

Yeah, I know about those two. [[As a kid, I attended the Lutheran school next to the building that was once Federals.) I was just curious of whether any buildings are still standing that were analagous to what is the Wanamaker building.

[Lorax]

Nothing that grand left. That would have been Hudson's, Crowleys [[first built as Partridge & Blackwell) and Kern's. All gone now.

Other players would have been Demery's, People's Outfitters, Saks, also all gone.

[ghettopalmetto]

Nothing that grand left. That would have been Hudson's, Crowleys [[first built as Partridge & Blackwell) and Kern's. All gone now.

Other players would have been Demery's, People's Outfitters, Saks, also all gone.

They had to make way for all the Progress.

[bailey]

They had to make way for all the Progress.

Might have helped if they had stayed in business as stores....

[DetroitPlanner]

Nothing that grand left. That would have been Hudson's, Crowleys [[first built as Partridge & Blackwell) and Kern's. All gone now.

Other players would have been Demery's, People's Outfitters, Saks, also all gone.

Saks is still there. It was on the lower level of the New Center Building [[now called Albert Kahn Building). Across the street from it is New Center one. New Center one contained a two story Crowleys for about a dozen years after it left its Woodward Avenue New Center Location.

The rest of the department stores could be considered mini-department stores along Woodward. These would include Himilhochs [[sp), Woolworth, and Kresgee.

[d.mcc]

I don't know about downtown but there are a couple at Grand River and Greenfield.

the Building on the Right was the Montgomery Wards building in Dearborn. Torn down for another strip mall

[DetroitPlanner]

Actually the Saks still stands as does the replacement for the New Center Branch of the Crowley's in New Center One. Hughes and Hatcher's flagship still stands, but has been modified extensively. It is now Hockeytown! Himelhoch's stands too!

[Fury13]

Actually the Saks still stands as does the replacement for the New Center Branch of the Crowley's in New Center One. Hughes and Hatcher's flagship still stands, but has been modified extensively. It is now Hockeytown! Himelhoch's stands too!

None of those were really department stores; they were high-end apparel stores. I guess the Himelhoch's building is the closest structure we have left to one of those grand downtown retail palaces.

[DetroitPlanner]

None of those were really department stores; they were high-end apparel stores. I guess the Himelhoch's building is the closest structure we have left to one of those grand downtown retail palaces.

I guess I am not understanding your arguement. These were all multi story retail establishments with elavators or escalators. They all sold a variety of dry goods. Granted these were not huge stores like Hudson's, Crowley's, Sam's, Mabley's, Endicot Johnson, or Kern's; but they were big compared to anything found in the suburbs or smaller cities. Would you not consider Lord and Taylor to be a dapartment store? How about Needless Mark-ups? Are department stores only places like Walmart, Meijer, and Kmart?

[Meddle]

Himelhoch's stands too!

I guess the Himelhoch's building is the closest structure we have left to one of those grand downtown retail palaces.

Worked there for a while through one of those temporary job service agencies. Don't remember too much about it. Everything we received got marked up 100%. If the invoice showed an item at $50, the price tag we printed was $100.

[reddog289]

Altough I don't shop at the Dept stores, Well maybe Sears for tools. I do miss the Downtown Hudsons. Yet when I see the postings that state if Hudsons, Crowleys, Etc had never built in the burbs their Downtown locations would not have closed. I think the void would have been filled. Detroit is not Manhatten. It built out instead of up.
Was there ever a Sears, Wards, or Federals downtown?. When Detroit was at the 2 milion mark people needed to live somewhere therefore they moved farther away from downtown. The retailers were smart and followed the money. It took almost 30 years after Northland opened for the Downtown Hudsons to close.
I was there for the last Christmas, My Cousins kept shoving me off the elevator on every empty floor. That was not my best memory of the building.I used to like the State St Marshall Fields in Chicago, Not that I bought anything, But it reminded me of Hudsons.
Take also into account of the theft that went on. If that Downtown store had the most and it wasn't profitable to do business there, then no wonder the plug was yanked. Sorta like many other stores in the city.

[sumas]

I believe that the store that housed Franklin Simon on the west side of Woodward still stands and the building that housed Winkelmans on the east side of Woodward still stands.

I worked for Hudsons in the seventies as a buyer. Our stores were demarcated as A, B. C or D stores based on volume of sales. Downtown was a low B store so sales were there up to the end. When Hudsons merged with Dayton it was the beginning of the end. Hudsons had a doctor and nurse on staff and a fleet of taxis on standby. I was at Northland and took ill. The personnel manager insisted I take a cab home [[I lived on the eastside) on the company bill. He predicted I was pregnant and he was right.

Hudsons was supposed to build a new store where the Kern block is but Dayton pulled the plug on that. It is sad that when headquarters are located out of state they don't have a corporate culture of community spirit. They dumped the parade too.

[Danny]

Dave Bing on Detroit's department stores

"When I was a kid my parents and my friends used to hang out at JL Hudson's Dept. Store, Kern's, Crowley's and Federal's. They have best displays of fashions, products, sweet goodies and held super sale events and parades. When JL Hudson close Downtown Detroit wasn't the same. So other small retail close the following year and half of Downtown Detroit look like a ghostown. We may have no dept store, but Downtown Detroit finally have Compureware."

[douglasm]

Does The Colonial Department Store building on Grand River [[?), 1/2 block off Woodward count?

[EastsideAl]

Does The Colonial Department Store building on Grand River [[?), 1/2 block off Woodward count?

If it does, don't forget to tell 'em - Honest Hank sent you there...

[EastsideQT]

When Hudson's opened stores at Northland and Eastland Malls [[even though they we called shopping centers and were not covered)...that was the beginning of the end for Hudson's..the rest is history.

[Mackenzie68]

I am enjoined to tell you that the Colonial Department Store building is on State Street, between Woodward and Griswold.

[English]

At the beginning of the decade, someone tried to open up a new department store in the Financial District... I got the cutest red leather purse from there, and when my uncle visited from Chicago, he ordered custom-made business shirts. Who were they, and what building was it? I was there several times but my memory fails. [[Detroit Synergy featured them on their Shop Detroit tour, I think, which is how I heard of them.)

My experience in Philly really makes me want to advocate for another downtown store like that. If my ship comes in as far as post-PhD employment goes, I'll be back in the central city in mid-2010. How can regular people help to encourage the growth of retail, other than living, working and shopping in the D?

[English]

BTW, I think the name of the store was Julian Scott.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_...partment_Store

[dtowncitylover]

At the beginning of the decade, someone tried to open up a new department store in the Financial District... I got the cutest red leather purse from there, and when my uncle visited from Chicago, he ordered custom-made business shirts. Who were they, and what building was it? I was there several times but my memory fails. [[Detroit Synergy featured them on their Shop Detroit tour, I think, which is how I heard of them.)

My experience in Philly really makes me want to advocate for another downtown store like that. If my ship comes in as far as post-PhD employment goes, I'll be back in the central city in mid-2010. How can regular people help to encourage the growth of retail, other than living, working and shopping in the D?

English, I was very hesitant about saying this, but you kinda brought it up. It is my dream to open up a department store in downtown Detroit. I have the plans for it, the location for it [[1520 Woodward, the former Lane Bryant), and have even started writing a business plan.

I believe Philly has Boyds, which is a boutique luxury deparment store, which is something I have looked into and not sure I want something like that or something like Crowley's, a modest, but fierce department store.

Again, these are only my dreams and have no immediate plans to open one right now due the fact I have no financial support.

I never knew of Julian Scott, I was just a little too young to adventure down there by myself.

[English]

English, I was very hesitant about saying this, but you kinda brought it up. It is my dream to open up a department store in downtown Detroit. I have the plans for it, the location for it [[1520 Woodward, the former Lane Bryant), and have even started writing a business plan.

I believe Philly has Boyds, which is a boutique luxury deparment store, which is something I have looked into and not sure I want something like that or something like Crowley's, a modest, but fierce department store.

Again, these are only my dreams and have no immediate plans to open one right now due the fact I have no financial support.

I never knew of Julian Scott, I was just a little too young to adventure down there by myself.

Wow! I'm glad you've shared this. We've had longtime forumers who have started businesses after talking about it on DYes and other groups. I am sure that someone knows the people involved in the Julian Scott venture... they might be a great source of information.

We need dreamers like you, but the problem is that postmodern Detroit has been a dreamslayer for many. Hang on, be pragmatic, get your ducks in a row... but you've got one more supporter.

[douglasm]

In regards to the Colonial Department Store, I was working on what's left of my memory. I'm going to blame the stroke I had a couple months ago.

As to the Crowley store in New Center, didn't that start out as a Demery's?

[Lorax]

Here's the aforementioned Montgomery Ward store on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, stupidly destroyed in yet another brilliant move, rendering our architectural landscape all the less interesting: