# @detroitfreepress on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DTYnPpwmNwl
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/79310369-detroitfreepress-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/ce711804da.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-01-11T20:55:56.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Detroit Free Press (@detroitfreepress) — https://gondola.cc/detroitfreepress

## Caption

There was a conspicuous gap in the center of downtown Detroit for a quarter century.

That long, empty block along Woodward was where the massive J.L. Hudson department store building once stood, before its 1998 demolition by implosion.

The gap its implosion left behind was also a psychological one for some Detroiters who were old enough to remember shopping at the old Hudson's before it closed in 1983 after more than 90 years of business.

The landmark 25-story store had once been the retail center of downtown and spanned over 2 million square feet, which made it second in size among department stores to only the Macy's flagship in New York. But the downtown Hudson's had been losing money for years by the time it closed.

Today the gap in downtown is gone. In its place are two stunning side-by-side glass-and-steel buildings — one of them the second-tallest skyscraper in the city after the Renaissance Center.

Check the link in our bio for more.

📰 by JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press

📷 by Ryan Garza ryangarza, Detroit Free Press

#detroit #michigan #hudsons #jlhudsons #woodward #woodwardavenue

## Stats

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- **Likes:** 1,202
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- **Comments:** 7

## Credits

No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post.

## Tags

detroit, woodward, hudsons, michigan, jlhudsons, woodwardavenue

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