It must have been an interesting time in Detroit, 80 long years ago. Detroit was a booming city of almost a million souls. The automobile was well on its way to becoming a sovereign king. However, the city was still the center of a great interurban empire. A subway was even being promoted. The privileged few traveled by a chauffeur-driven motorcar. The vast majority still arrived by the streetcar or interurban trolley.

Their destinations were often the great emporiums of Detroit's merchant princes. Crowley-Milner was the largest and most impressive. with marble-base display cases and wooden escalators (the first in the city). The first section of Hudson's great store was diagonally across the intersection of Gratiot and Farmer. Directly across Gratiot stood the department store of Joseph Kern. Around the comer from Hudson's on Woodward Avenue, one could shop at MacCauley's for books and bicycles (along with their new line of office supplies). Only a few feet away was Kresge & Wilson's first 5& 10c store. Finally, on the same block, at the southemt corner of Grand River and Woodward, stood the noted department store of Newcomb-Endicott. Even then, both automobile traffic and parking were becoming a major problem. This was a downtown tailored to accomodate the patrons of the trolley.

Ironically, both Crowley-Milner and JL Hudson could trace their heritage back to another of Detroit's notable merchant princes--Christopher Mabley. Being old friends, Richard obtained a position in Mabley's Pontiac store in 1861, after leaving the employ of the Grand Trunk in Hamilton, Ontario. Within a few years, Richard and his second son, Joseph Lowthian, had purchased ownership of Mabley's Ionia store. When the Panic of 1873 forced Hudson into bankruptcy (and also the untimely death of Richard Hudson, sr), Joseph left his brother, James, in charge of the Ionia store. By 1879, Joseph L Hudson was a full partner in Detroit's then-larsest department store-that of Christopher Mabley.

In 1881, Hudson become embroiled in a dispute with the wife of his partner-Catherine Mabley (generally regarded as a most disagreeable woman). Dissolving the partnership, Hudson leased space on the ground floor of the Opera House (formerly occupied by Newcomb-Endicott) and opened for business as JL Hudson, Clothiers -all while taking most of Mabley's relatives with him! A few years later, Hudson purchased a second Detroit firm, moved to the west side of Woodward, and opened JL Hudson, Men's Clothier and Carpets. In 1891, the JL Hudson again relocated. The first piece of the Hudson block was in place.

Christopher Mabley never forgave his former friend and vowed to drive the younger Hudson out of business. Mabley also vowed to construct Detroit's tallest skyscraper-14 stories tall, with his store occupying the lower 8 floors. Unfortunately, Mabley died in 1885. As his heirs struggled to complete his vision, the 14 story structure finally did open in 1895. Mabley's Bazaar occupied just the first floor. As the letter "M" was everywhere, the skyscraper was christened the Majestic Building. Shortly thereafter, Mabley's closed.

All eight floors (onginally intended for Mabley's) were immediately taken over by a new emporium, Pardridge & Blackwell. A decade later, in 1905, Padridge & Blackwell decided to construct an even more magnificent structure. Even as the new store was being constructed, Pardridge & Blackwell also entered bankruptcy. William Crowley (a local merchant) together with Joseph Milner, united to reorganize the firm into Crowley-Milner & Co, in 1909. Three years later, Milner would die in an automobile accident, while commuting from his business interests in Toledo. Ironically, it appears Crowley-Milner was financed by Toledo traction interests !

Throughout the 1920s, the city continued to grow (in a most spectacular way). Hudson's aggressively began to acquire adjacent properties. MacCauley's, Himilhoch's and Kresge's were all forced to move elsewhere. With the death of the aging Mr. Newcomb in 1926, that store was purchased and demolished, too. One by one JL Hudson & Co had taken the entire block. Only Sallan Jewelers would hold out, for another 20 years. By the end of the decade, the Hudson Building, as most of us knew it, was essentially complete-becoming the largest and most impressive emporium in the city of Detroit.

Both of my parents had worked downtown, while just out of high school. My mother had worked for Hudson's, in the notions department. My father worked stock for Crowley-Milner (and, no-they didn't meet there). When I was young, they often talked of their years riding the streetcars. Given the post-war condition of the old rolling stock, not all the stories were positive. Still, there was an obvious effect on their first-born

I was first introduced to the wonders of downtown Detroit's glorious merchants, in the late summer of 1956. Streetcars had been gone from the city for only a few months. I was about to enter kindergarten. My mother had decided to take me downtown to shop for school clothes--on a DSR bus.

It was a very nice red & cream DSR bus. However, it was a bus--of the kind that had very recently replaced the streetcars. While l didn't say anytthing (at the time), I was disappointed. l had wanted to ride in a streetcar.

I must say, I was impressed with the canyons of downtown Detroit. The buildings were all huge, and quite grey. We shopped at Kresge's and Hudson's. I'm told, I got both a sweater and lunch at Kern's. For some reason, the color of a fairly dark grey vividly stands out in my memory. Northland had opened two years earlier.

We seldom entered Hudson's downtown. We never shopped at Crowley's. In the spirit of the times, we were more likely to shop at Sear-Roebuck or Montgomery Ward (much closer and plenty of free parking). Hudson's downtown store was of greater interest, because of their now near-legendary Christmas windows. Even after dark, when all the stores were closed, parking would require a walk of many blocks.

It was in the early 1970s, that I discovered downtown Detroit on my own. The obvious was quickly realized. The DSR D-DOT and SEMTA were the only way to go. The mezzanine became a favorite stopping place; with books, records and (of course) the stamp & coin department. Historically, it was an interesting place to explore.

As the decade moved forward, entire floors, of selling space, were eliminated. I remember a long, empty corridor--complete with freshly painted drywall--on one of the upper floors (possibly the 12th), with just a single brass water fountain as the lone sentry. The feasibility, of such a large structure, had to be questioned. Only the personal commitment, of Joseph L Hudson, jr, was keeping the downtown store open.

Of all the buildings, Crowlcy-Milner was the one (I thought) had the most potential for preservation as the flagship of a downtown department store. The Hudson block was just too big. Inside, merchandise was slim and the marble had long been removed from those shallow wooden display cases (however, still in storage in the annex). What I wasn't prepared for were the escalators. They were wooden-the original escalators, in the entire City of Detroit, had never been replaced. Of course, I had to ride them. They creaked and groaned, just like everyone said they did. It was an experience, that can (probably) never be duplicated, anywhere.

Following the final closure of the store, the Crowley-Milner building was demolished in June, 1978, in accordance with the original lease of the land by Pardridge & Blackwell. Hudson's survived another 4 & 1/2 years, closing in January of 1983. After a few more years of use by Hudson's for office space, the building was acquired by a Canadian firm, which stripped the 2.3 million square feet of everything salvageable. Large holes were cut into the floors, to better aid in the removal. Witnesses indicate the building was effectively rendered both functionally unusable and quite dangerous.

In the final decade or so, it was generally accepted there were 126 elevators, escalators and dumbwaiters of every type--including 68 of those marvelous public elevators. In the end, there were not enough parts left by the salvage firm, to place a single elevator back in service. A temporary lift had to be erected, to allow the demolition firm access to complete their work.

A few years ago, I met an elderly woman who had once worked for Newcomb-Endicott. She talked fondly of "old Mr Newcomb". Well into the late in the 1970's, a brass plaque on the Woodward side of Hudson's, near Grand River, declared this was indeed the Newcomb-Endicott building.

On the morning of 26 October 1998, a man on the radio talked of his many visits to Hudson's, with especially fondness for his long visits to the mezzanine Coin & Stamp department. He just wished he could go back, one more time. I almost fell off my chair, as I was eating breakfast.

Of course, there is a place, where a few relics of Detroit's merchant princes, do reside-at the Mt. Clemens Depot Museum. Besides the brass plaque from JL Hudson & Co, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Thomas Alva Edison's birth, there are plates from Kresge's Jamestown (also known as Mt. Clemens) Pottery, and Seven (7) display cases from the mezzanine Coin & Stamp department. Of course, we can't forget our Wooden display case from Crowley-Milner (minus the marble base). It is a collection entirely appropriate, for such an historically unique location.

Crowley's closed forever, earlier this year. However, the Lakeside Mall location will reopen in February, 2000 as Hudson's Mens and Home Furnishings. Historically, this is highly appropriate. A circle will be complete.