Remembering Hudson's

The J. L. Hudson Company redefined the way Detroiters shopped and enjoyed leisure time. Many Detroiters share memories of times spent shopping and enjoying spectacular events sponsored by Hudson's. A solid and lofty icon built by businesspeople who believed in their passion, Hudson's defined Detroit's downtown, creating trends and traditions in consumer culture that still resonate with us today. Now and in the future, as Hudson's boxes, shopping bags, and artifacts are discovered in closets, attics, basements, and flea markets, many will remember that it was once as solid a civic fixture as the City-County Building or the Detroit Public Library.

Thanks to exquisite images from the Davis Hillmer Collection at the Detroit Historical Museum, the Manning Brothers Historical Collection, and the Central Business District Foundation, Michael Hauser and Marianne Weldon once again provide readers with revered views of the famous department store so many Detroiters grew up with. Hauser is marketing manager for Michigan Opera Theatre and continues to promote the legacy of Hudson's through an ongoing series of lectures and exhibits. Weldon is the collections manager for art and artifacts at Bryn Mawr College.