![Daily Detroit artwork](https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts123/v4/4d/71/eb/4d71eb46-96eb-7178-d832-84b313e1df9b/mza_1605185645021484971.jpg/100x100bb.jpg)
How A Beautiful Old Hudson's Elevator Came Back To Life
Daily Detroit
English - October 23, 2020 20:28 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MB - ★★★★★ - 150 ratingsDaily News News Leisure entrepreneur events news oakland business city detroit development food local Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Hudson’s was a name at the center of Detroit life for decades. And their flagship store on Woodward loomed over downtown until it was demolished in 1998.
I remember that day because I worked it for a local TV station. Street after street was covered in dust, and it was a quick, final end to the second largest and tallest department store in the country.
According to HistoricDetroit.org, it was a behemoth. We talked about the height. But the three electric transformers inside could supply enough power for a city of 20,000 people. It had a world record 705 fitting rooms. 200 different departments.
And with a name as locally known as Sanders, Faygo, Vernors or any of the Big Three, Hudson's had the most important thing: the hearts of Detroiters.
This week came some interesting news. Somehow, some way, an ornate elevator from this long-gone structure has popped up on the radar.
And it didn’t just show up, dirty and dusty in a corner of a storage unit. But half a million dollars and a quarter century later, it arrived in all of its grandeur.
Today, we’ll share that story by the man who made it happen, Alex Begin.
More on Hudson's on Historic Detroit: https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/hudsons-department-store
Photos of the elevator: http://www.dailydetroit.com
Listen to our show in Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-detroit/id1220563942?mt=2
Support our local coverage on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit