Street clocks in downtown detroit

As a very young child, I remember being taken to Kerns, Hudson's and Crowley Milner by my mother. The chandeliers in Kern's from the mezzanine were impressive but the one thing that sticks in my mind above others was a large street clock on Farmer Street around the corner from Gratiot Ave i.e. the Weber bldg. corner, opposite Crowley's c1958-59. I also remember Kern's being subdivided into smaller stores on the main floor after the going out of business sale. This use didn't last too long -- may have been a seasonal situation as the building was demo'd in 1966.

Shinola has put up a number of street clocks throughout greater downtown. There will also be one on the new shinola hotel at the corner of the building where the old clock used to be

"Meet me under the Shinola clock!"

Not sure I remember the clocks, but I kind of wish Crowleys had been one to survive.

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Originally Posted by Meddle

Not sure I remember the clocks, but I kind of wish Crowleys had been one to survive.

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Back in the day, Crowleys was sort of run-down and declassse compared to Hudsons. Crowleys tried to make in the suburban malls, but couldn't. Crowley's met the fate that most of the #2 big city department stores did. The #1 stores survived to be subsumed into Macy's. In most malls now, Macy's has split into two stores, one in the #1 location and one in the #2 location with women's in one store and everything else in the second store.

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Originally Posted by Hermod

Back in the day, Crowleys was sort of run-down and declassse compared to Hudsons.

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My grandmother, who worked for 30 years behind the cosmetics counter at Hudsons, always kind of looked down her nose at her sister-in-law who had the same position at Crowley's. Actually caused a certain amount of tension at family holidays when Grandma would say things to her like "I just don't know how you stand the clacking of those old wooden escalators all day."

Somehow I remember Crowleys being better than Hudsons. Maybe it just the memory failing.

Just don't make the clocks digital.

Every time I see a digital clock display the time 5:55, I imagine it's its internal 555 timer IC's way of screaming out what Steve McQueen screamed at the end of Papillon:

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Hey you bastards! I'm still here!

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The ubiquitous 555 is the most popular integrated circuit ever manufactured — and is arguably the only chip that will cause its own number to be displayed on the digital clock encompassing it.

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Originally Posted by Jimaz

Just don't make the clocks digital.

Every time I see a digital clock display the time 5:55, I imagine it's its internal 555 timer IC's way of screaming out what Steve McQueen screamed at the end of Papillon:The humble 555 is the most popular integrated circuit ever manufactured — and is arguably the only chip that will cause its own number to be displayed on a digital clock.

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Interesting.
On another note, I always catch myself looking at 7:11 and 3:13. Happens more often than other times. :confused:

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Originally Posted by Meddle

Somehow I remember Crowleys being better than Hudsons. Maybe it just the memory failing.

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Not to get into a big department store war, but I believe I remember reading Crowley's was the first to import and sell European fashions in Detroit.