Hudson's 30 Years Ago Today

[Sandhouse]

"It was based on a shared heritage of Midwest values and a tradition of high touch service, quality merchandise, and commitment to their respective communities.

"Consumers eventually drove the original Hudson's/Dayton's full-line department store business model [[and its accompanying appreciation & benefits for its employees) into obsolescence--but that's a whole other discussion."

I think the Dayton-Hudson merger was just as described by 405, for a while. By the mid-1970s Hudson's had become a hostile place to work, for the mid-level executives of my father's generation who dated to the Hudson-Webber years. I have the impression of him hanging on to his job by the skin of his teeth, while many others were forced out in favor of young MBA's. I think Dayton-Hudson lost one or more age-discrimination suits in those years. I remember workers referring to the Minneapolis headquarters as, "the mother house," and I got the notion that there were a couple unspoken syllables in there. The community involvement went away rapidly, probably under competitive pressure.

My dad hung on through several demotions to retirement [[which he enjoyed for many years), but in my memory his last working years were not pleasant. But he regarded Joe Hudson, Jr. and the pre-merger Hudson's warmly.

I've got his 15- and 25-year pins, "Manager" floor badge, and one of the blue "Selling is the biggest job we do!" pencils.

[downtownguy]

I worked in the 333 W Fort Bldg in 1980-82. There were several philanthropic foundations in the building, and since the Hudson family was quite generous, occasionally you could spot JL Hudson, Jr. in the building.

One day, my boss was waiting for the elevator as a woman walked up and noticed she was carrying a Hudson's shopping bag. The elevator arrived the next moment, and he said to her as they walked into the elevator, "Nice to see people still shopping at Hudson's." A voice inside the elevator responded, "It sure is!" The voice was that of JL Hudson, Jr.

[beachboy]

Yeah, the ZW came out in 1949, and I was already three years into the layout. Had to settle for the ugly ones. [[ZW had rheostats that were like a throttle on a real train.....great for playing engineer!)

Ray,you've got a great memory!! My best friend
had two ZW's controlling three trains on his [[Dad's)
basement layout. Remember the smoke pellets to
put in the locomotive? Choo-choo!!

Not to be outdone, my Dad built an HO scale layout
on a 4x8 plywood, framed it w/ legs and we [[I say
that loosely) added to it over two decades. All the
track, rolling stock etc. from JL Hudson's.

memories... <sobble>

[Honky Tonk]

Ray,you've got a great memory!! My best friend
had two ZW's controlling three trains on his [[Dad's)
basement layout. Remember the smoke pellets to
put in the locomotive? Choo-choo!!

Not to be outdone, my Dad built an HO scale layout
on a 4x8 plywood, framed it w/ legs and we [[I say
that loosely) added to it over two decades. All the
track, rolling stock etc. from JL Hudson's.

memories... <sobble>

My locomotive didn't take the pellets, it took the drops instead. Do any of you guys now if "Cartrain" is still in existence?

[Honky Tonk]

Ok, Here's a Hudson memory, [[or maybe a pipe dream). It's the mid-60's, everything, as far as lifestyles, ideas, and beliefs, are changing. Hudson's opens "The Mod Shop" on the 12th floor, I believe, to try to keep up with the times. One Saturday afternoon, they hold a concert there. I saw SRC, either the Frost or Frigid Pink, [[too long ago) and The Amboy Dukes.

[Sandhouse]

I remember the mod shop, but not what floor it was on. I doubt my mom bought my clothes there. A terrific variety of shows and events was held in the 10,000-square-foot 12th-floor auditorium over the years, including a lot of fashion and car shows. The freight elevator could accommodate medium trucks, directly off Farmer Street, so delivering a car to the 12th floor was easy. The auditorium was the shed-like structure visible on the roof in the photos of the building.

I remember a show on space exploration that wowed me as an 8-year-old. I've read that the B&O's traveling .model railroad visited around 1951. And the first of the Arcadia Press books, Hudson's - Detroit's Legendary Department Store, pictures a display titled, "Detroit Tomorrow." [[No comment needed.) Another photo shows a wartime display with hundreds of recognition model planes hung from the ceiling, no doubt by Hudson's huge art-and-display staff.

[[Dick Kughn's "Carail" toy-train collection was auctioned off some years ago. A smaller but still-impressive collection of mostly 40's and 50's cars is in 3 warehouses in a western suburb.)

[Ray1936]

Didn't Dick Kughn actually buy what was left of the Lionel corporation about forty years back? I think it went defunct.

[Hermod]

Didn't Dick Kughn actually buy what was left of the Lionel corporation about forty years back? I think it went defunct.

Kughn owned Lionel LLC from 1986 to 1995. The headquarters were out on 23 Mile just west of Gratiot and they maintained a museum there. I think the corporation still owns the building which is vacant.

[Elevator Fan]

I can still smell the oil used to lubricate the inner doors of the elevators, and see the red and green lights next to each floor's number, and the mahagony lining of the cars. the operators had a folding seat they rarely got to sit on. I had forgotten about the "ding-ding" announcing the arriving cars, until the post above brought the memory back.

...

I wonder if there is any surviving installation like this anywhere in the world?

I have spent years searching for a similar elevator installation to Hudson's, around the world, and the only comparable one is right in our back yard, at the Masonic Temple. There are two elevators almost identical to Hudson's, the only difference being the external doors fold instead of slide open. What makes them uniquely similar to Hudson's versus all other similar installations, such as the Fox Theatre's, is the pneumatically-driven brass gates. Enjoy...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6977035...7640300618704/

Also, the Hudson's elevators did not "ding" - the hall signals were silent. The dinging that the original writer recalls was the employee signaling system, consisting of a chime and a multi-colored light bar in the hallways. What one did hear throughout the building was the compressed air operating those elevator gates and doors, along with the rattling of the brass.

And...in addition to the drinking fountain found at the Troy Macy's, there is another on display in the mini historical museum at the downtown Minneapolis Macy's, former Dayton's, across from the restaurant.