07/02/2024
On this date 97 years ago, Hudson's department store announced that it was buying out its next-door neighbor and rival Newcomb-Endicott (seen here on the left). Hudson's (seen on the right) would tear down the 1920- and 1879-built Newcomb-Endicott buildings in order to expand into the Big Store many Detroiters remember. This move doubled Hudson's footprint, and the tower that rose on the Newcomb site would make Hudson's the tallest department store in the world.
The Newcomb-Endicott department store predated Hudson's, opening in 1868. It was one of the largest mercantile firms in the Midwest in the era before World War I. The 1920 tower seen on the far left in this photo was designed by Harry Angell; it stood only seven years, so photos of it are rare.
Today, Bedrock's new Hudson block development is rising on the site.
Photo from the Detroit Historical Society