Please check your email for your login details.
For years, the old Hudson site in downtown Detroit was nothing more than an empty parking lot, leaving many locals wondering, “When will this ever get developed?”
It was a clear reminder of just how far the city had fallen: Detroit’s biggest, flashiest department store reduced to nothing more than a vacant patch of land riddled with signs of blight.
Only now, things are looking up.
A new skyscraper, Hudson’s Detroit, is rising out of that empty canvass, set to open in 2025.
This is no ordinary building.
Hudson’s is expected to house a hotel, close to 100 luxury condos, an office tower, and plenty of restaurant and shop space, which will completely transform the look and feel of downtown Detroit.
On top of that, the headquarters of General Motors is also poised to move to Hudson’s when its development is complete, leaving behind the RenCen to stake their flag in a much more central location – a clear signal that this building matters – and that downtown Detroit is on its way to a major comeback.
Why this Project Hits Different for Detroiters
Hudson’s is a very emotional project for many longtime Detroiters.
The original building was more than just a department store.
It was where families bought back-to-school clothes every year, where couples went out on first dates, where kids pressed their noses against the windows to take in the Christmas displays.
When it fell in the 1990s, it felt like part of Detroit’s soul came crashing down with it.
With this in mind, this new Hudson’s project feels like the city finally nursing a wound that has long been left open to fester.
The collective hope is that it will lead to more people living in the downtown area and not just visiting, as well as offer plenty of restaurants, shops, and events, which will in turn create lots of new job opportunities for Detroit locals.
Asking the Important Questions
That said, not everybody can afford a million-dollar condo or a posh hotel room, which has some Detroiters watching this project and wondering, “Is this really for us or just another shiny thing for outsiders?”
It’s a fair question – one that the developers will eventually have to answer, but for now, the Hudson project is simply impossible to miss.
Anyone who has been downtown lately has seen it.
The thing is huge, with many people stopping just to photograph it.
A Promise Made Manifest
Detroiters usually aren’t quick to believe big promises, yet the reality is that the Hudson Tower is one project that is actually panning out exactly as envisioned.
Doors should open by late 2025, and the opening ceremony will have everything from ribbon cuttings to speeches and perhaps even some fireworks.
Of course, opening day is not the real test.
The real test will be how the place feels about a year or two later.
Will people still be living there, working there, recommending it to visitors?
If the answer is yes, then Hudson’s won’t just be another tall building.
It will prove Detroit can take its past, rework it, and pave the way forward toward a better future.