1970s-1990s Woodward Ave photos

[cmubryan]

Hey all, I was trying to explain to my neighbor that just moved here from Cleveland, how far downtown has come in the last 25+ years. Does anyone have any photos or know where I could find some photos of downtown, specifically Woodward in the 1980s or so? I want to show him how bad it once was [[the 1970s traffic lights and "people" streetscape, the wig stores, the boarded up buildings, etc.).

[Bham1982]

Hey all, I was trying to explain to my neighbor that just moved here from Cleveland, how far downtown has come in the last 25+ years. Does anyone have any photos or know where I could find some photos of downtown, specifically Woodward in the 1980s or so? I want to show him how bad it once was [[the 1970s traffic lights and "people" streetscape, the wig stores, the boarded up buildings, etc.).

Woodward was a lot busier and more physically intact back in the 70's and 80's. Wig stores, while often downscale, were part of an actual retail district, including Hudsons.

The downtown retail district lasted until the 1990's.

[stasu1213]

Woodward became to it's worse state in the middle 90s when most of the businesses had closed and storefronts formed a wall of boarded windows. Winklemans was the last clothing retail to leave Woodward in the late 90s. I didn't know that Dress Barn remained in the downtown area until around 2004. Woodward was a destination for shopping and banking until the late 90s. It's becoming a destination of small offices, restaurants with bars in them, residential, and the unknown

[Smirnoff]

Boatloads of photos available......basic search.

[cmubryan]

Boatloads of photos available......basic search.

I am trying to find Woodward Ave during this specific era, can't find much. What site did you find them?

[cmubryan]

Woodward became to it's worse state in the middle 90s when most of the businesses had closed and storefronts formed a wall of boarded windows. Winklemans was the last clothing retail to leave Woodward in the late 90s. I didn't know that Dress Barn remained in the downtown area until around 2004. Woodward was a destination for shopping and banking until the late 90s. It's becoming a destination of small offices, restaurants with bars in them, residential, and the unknown

Stasu,
Don't know where you lived in the 90s but I do not recall downtown Woodward being any type of "destination for shopping" back then.

[cmubryan]

Woodward was a lot busier and more physically intact back in the 70's and 80's. Wig stores, while often downscale, were part of an actual retail district, including Hudsons.

The downtown retail district lasted until the 1990's.

I was a child in the 1980s so I do not recall much of downtown then. However, it was always my impression that Hudson's was the last major "mainstream/destination" when it closed in 1983 on Woodward south of GCP. I do remember the 90s quite well and do not recall much shopping [[accept Wig stores) on Woodward south of GCP.

[stasu1213]

Stasu,
Don't know where you lived in the 90s but I do not recall downtown Woodward being any type of "destination for shopping" back then.

Downtown was a sopping destination in the 80s

[cmubryan]

Downtown was a sopping destination in the 80s

Interesting. This is news to me. Maybe in the early 80s with Hudson's?

[dtowncitylover]

As a child of the 90s, I remember not much of downtown. Most of my city experiences as a child was either the Belle Isle, DIA, or Tigers Stadium. I do remember being on Woodward and seeing the hulk that was Hudson's, probably in '97. The streets were dark, deserted, and Hudson's was scary. I think the most deserted years of Lower Woodward would be 1995ish-2010ish. Even today, we certainly don't have the steady flow that the major cities have, but I'm hoping within 5 years time there can be a good constant street traffic.

cmubryan, I am also having trouble finding pictures. Since nothing much was down there, why would anyone care to pictures, I suppose? The only shops I remember were Eastern Wig and Tall-Eez Shoes.

I found this website though...

http://www.nailhed.com/2014/01/blue-...ts-row-ii.html

[Bham1982]

I was a child in the 1980s so I do not recall much of downtown then. However, it was always my impression that Hudson's was the last major "mainstream/destination" when it closed in 1983 on Woodward south of GCP. I do remember the 90s quite well and do not recall much shopping [[accept Wig stores) on Woodward south of GCP.

There was still lots of shopping after Hudsons left, and plenty of mainstream brands.

I know there was Winkelmans and plenty of mid- and lower-priced clothing and shoe stores between Grand Circus and the Hudsons site. It was a [[semi) viable district, and still lots of shoppers post-Hudson, until around 1994 or thereabouts [[when it started to just empty out into nothingness).

There was a multiplex movie theater until maybe 1990 or so, there were some shops on the side streets [[really everything between Woodward and Washington was still an identifiable retail zone until the 1990s), lots of cheap restaurants [[I remember some "Smoking Embers" place or something, a Burger King, I think a Taco Bell) and plenty of foot traffic. Even after suburbanization you had plenty of African American women who would go downtown and spend their money.

Ever seen the shopping districts in poorer cities on the East Coast? Places like Newark or Baltimore? It kind of looked like that. Not pretty but still semi-thriving.

There is some TV special from back then called "Cruising Woodward" and they have some nice views of the old shopping district. It still had all the 70's urban-renewal stuff, so there was some "Woodward Center" decorative glass thingee, benches, planters, and the like. I think it was officially called the "Woodward Transit Mall" or something.

Too bad DetroitPlanner isn't around to offer his insights. He knew the city so well, and really knew this era extremely well, seemingly better than anyone on DYes. His contributions were huge.

[stasu1213]

I was referreing to the early 80s 1983. However, there were many stores still lining Woodward even a few years after Hudsons had closed. There were still stores such as Gussini's Shoes, Bakers, Sanders, Sibleys, Tall Ezz, Kresge, Woolworth, Winkleman, Lady Orva, Hughes and Hatchers, Cancellations, United Shirts, etc. Most of these stores had remained open a few years after Hudson's had closed. Some had closed the same year such as Grinells instrument shop. Hart Plaza had it's ethnic festivals until 1992 the year that every ethnic group pulled out.

[Bham1982]

Also, to put a date on it, I remember walking up Woodward with my Dad as a child in the summer of 1992, and there was still shopping. I think we then headed over to Washington Boulevard [[he had his office downtown back then).

I remember being fascinated at the fairly busy [[and to me, frankly exotic) scene. Almost entirely African American, and lots of music being blasted from the stores. Wig stores, shoe stores, I think a "record world" or something, blasting hip-hop. I found it fascinating. We had lunch at some grubby Coney Island on one of the side streets.

I think by about 1997 or so, this was almost entirely gone. So I think 1992-1997 would be the rough era for ending of downtown retail.

[stasu1213]

Bham. I haunted downtown from the 70s thru the 90s. I use to treat myself for my birthday by taking a trip downtown to go to the movie theatres in Grand Circus Park or the RenCen. I use to go to Flaming Embers to eat or simply McDonalds. United Shirts used to be where American Coney Island's extension is now. Hardees used to be on Griswold as well as other fast food joints. New Center area had more stores as well as Crowley that anchored the area up until 1999 when it closed it's doors inside the New Center One building which I think has great potential to house City Target in the future. Hudsons didn't clear out it's flagship store until 1984 and still was having warehouse sales.

[stasu1213]

Monroe Music was once in Greektown. There was a place on Woodward that sold every color of Levi's jeans in the late 80s when Levis were selling jeans that came in many colors; blue, green, red, purple, etc. I had once saw the movie "Party Animal" at the Plaza theatre next to Otto's Popcorn. Broadway was more seedier near Grand River where Pauls Cut Rate Stores operated. D.O.C was on State and Griswold. Co op Optical was on Griswald. Meijers Jewelry Store was on Woodward and I think Grand River. There were still plenty of shopping in Downtown Detroit throughout the 80s but these smaller stores saw then handwriting on the wall when Hudsons closed so they had stared making their exit plans

[stasu1213]

dtowyncitylover maybe as a child there were some stores downtown that didn't interest you at that age so you probably didn't seek them out. Downtown wasn't quite child attractive in the late 80s middle 90s

[dtowncitylover]

dtowyncitylover maybe as a child there were some stores downtown that didn't interest you at that age so you probably didn't seek them out. Downtown wasn't quite child attractive in the late 80s middle 90s

This is also true. And since most shops were/are 9-5 anyway, I was stuck in school.

[stasu1213]

Downtown is more child friendlier than it was in the 80s. The Rink in the winter, Comerica Park, the Riverwalk, The Puppet Theatre etc. The only thing that would make downtown Detroit much better than it was even in the 50's and 60s is more clothing retail or retail period. It is fast becoming a fun destination but a few stores such as Dunhams, Dress Barns, Bed Bath and Beyond, Micro Center City store, and maybe an Urban Outfitter and Ann Taylor Lofts would make it complete

[mtburb]

Meijers Jewelry Store was on Woodward and I think Grand River.

I didn't know Meijer used to operate a standalone jewelry store prototype. I know the used to operate several standalone prototypes-the clothing store chains called Sagebrush, Tansy and Copper Rivet, a pharmacy chain called Spaar, a warehouse club chain called Source Club and a chain called Meijer Square, which was like your average Meijer but without any groceries at all.

[dtowncitylover]

I didn't know Meijer used to operate a standalone jewelry store prototype. I know the used to operate several standalone prototypes-the clothing store chains called Sagebrush, Tansy and Copper Rivet, a pharmacy chain called Spaar, a warehouse club chain called Source Club and a chain called Meijer Square, which was like your average Meijer but without any groceries at all.

It's Meyer Jewelry Company, not Meijer. Two different families.

[stasu1213]

Sorry for the typo

[EastsideAl]

Meyer Treasure Chest Stores! They were once all over S.E. Michigan, but the main one was right there on Woodward. Wright-Kay Jewelers there also.

[EastsideAl]

Downtown retail actually had a lengthy winding-down period. Downtown stores were active, but already struggling a bit, in the late '60s and '70s. And the destruction of City Hall and the Kern block in the mid-'60s had left a large vacant hole right in the center of downtown. An increasing number of older smaller buildings off Woodward were also being knocked down for surface parking lots, which had become more profitable than maintaining older buildings or renting less-central store locations.

The real decline began in the late '70s though, with several stores disappearing from Washington Blvd. [[once THE place for higher-end men's stores) and up around Grand Circus, the closing of Crowley's, the destruction of retail by "urban renewal" on Monroe and elsewhere, and the significant reductions in sales floor space at Hudsons. Then came the deeply misguided decision to "mall" Woodward, turning it into a sort of windswept bus speedway with no other traffic allowed [[and don't get me started on the outrageously hideous and stupid Washington Blvd. "monkey bars" redo).

But, as Stasu states, downtown retail did not die, even with the closure of Hudsons in '83. A number of stores still lined Woodward, and other areas like the Broadway-Randolph-Gratiot intersection remained active as well. However, a slow steady spiral of stores downsizing and closing had begun, along with a sort of tumble down the retail food chain for many storefront locations. But there was active downtown retail into the early '90s. By the mid-'90s though things had gotten pretty bleak along Woodward and other downtown streets. Then came the stupid Hudsons demolition in '98. These were really the worst years.

[stasu1213]

There was a sneaker store downtown in the 20th also Footlocker lasted until 2006 or so

[erikd]

Also, to put a date on it, I remember walking up Woodward with my Dad as a child in the summer of 1992, and there was still shopping. I think we then headed over to Washington Boulevard [[he had his office downtown back then).

I remember being fascinated at the fairly busy [[and to me, frankly exotic) scene. Almost entirely African American, and lots of music being blasted from the stores. Wig stores, shoe stores, I think a "record world" or something, blasting hip-hop. I found it fascinating. We had lunch at some grubby Coney Island on one of the side streets.

I think by about 1997 or so, this was almost entirely gone. So I think 1992-1997 would be the rough era for ending of downtown retail.

I would agree with this time frame. When I moved downtown in the summer of 97, there wasn't much retail left on lower Woodward. Sibley's was still in the Fyfe, Tall-Eez and H&H were still open, but there wasn't much else on lower Woodward as far as shopping goes.

The period from 97/98 to 03/04 was really the bottom for downtown, and especially lower Woodward. After all of the new downtown investment that has happened in recent years, it is kind of strange to remember how bleak things were just 10-15 years ago.