Charles Himelhoch's - Grandson of the founder perhaps?
I always thought it would be fascinating, to have a time machine to go back and speak to someone like Chuck about the year 2010. I would be willing to bet that the reality of 2010 Detroit, would be completely unthinkable or even unimaginable to him. I'm not talking about technology, but more like the entire OBLITERATION of cultures, stories, memories, legacies etc. Sure we "know" about places like Hudson's or Crowley's or MCS or Tiger Stadium and the stories and history's that go along with them, but think of all of the smaller stores, neighborhoods, institutions that are basically wiped from the record of human existence in essentially the course of 30-50 years?
Honestly, Himelhoch's, while not as big as Hudson's, was a decently large institution, multiple locations and world-wide, employing over 70 years, certainly thousands of people, and yet we have an "empty", fairly tall building on Washington Blvd. and a two paragraph google search. The Detroit that I identify with has been OBLITERATED.
Even the thread about the Corridor in the 70's is depressing. It's just another time an place filled with stories of life that has, for all intents and purposes, been eradicated from existence except for a handful of stories told by people who were there.
That would be fine if something was there to take it's place, but for the most part, we're left with nothing. A mammoth void of vacancy and destruction.
"Hey Chuck! Are those plans for expansion you're holding in your hands!? What's that? You're going to open a second downtown location? That's swell buddy...you know the skies the limit here in Detroit! A city of limitless potential and opportunity. Good for you man."
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