Those That Stood Before Detroit 2.0
About 6 months ago, all of us Quicken Loans team members were greeted with some news that we knew was coming, but didn’t know when. Our company had decided to move its headquarters to downtown Detroit. Folks that know me from years ago know that I had an interesting fascination with Detroit’s historical architecture. I was an urban explorer. I explored Detroit’s largest abandoned buildings and photographed them from top to bottom, and published the photography on a website that used to be known as themotorlesscity.com
So, I have a somewhat intimate relationship with some of the old architecture of Detroit’s former days. One of the buildings that I explored (The Statler Hotel, which is now demolished) sat on the same site that Quicken Loans is looking to possibly build their new headquarters on. The other site is the former Hudson’s department store location.
I had a lot of thoughts going through my mind for a few months following the announcement, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that Quicken Loans really needed to do something to pay tribute to some of the businesses/buildings that used to occupy these locations, and paved the way to make Detroit a famous city. Detroit 1.0 was a great city, and I think we need to recognize that as we build new.
I wrote this paper, and submitted it to upper management. It was meant as an appeal to the company to try to do something remarkable with our new buildings that would pay tribute to the Statler Hotel and Hudson’s building. It’s now been probably about 3 months since I submitted this paper, and I haven’t heard a single bit of feedback on it. I’m kind of frustrated with the lack of any response really. So, since this fell on deaf ears and I think it’s a good piece to read, I’m publishing it here on my blog so everyone can have a look. Enjoy!
Quicken Loans – Detroit 2.0 Headquarters
Tribute to Those that Stood Before
Quicken Loans is moving into a new phase of rebirth in the City of Detroit. We are leading the way as the newest technology company to bring life back to an aging city that until now has been stuck in steady decline, wandering around in the aftermath of the industrial and automotive revolution. At the height of its population, Detroit was the 4th largest city in the US. New buildings were being constructed all over the city. Detroit was growing fast during the 1910-1940’s. Ornate and highly decorative architecture was in great demand, and the city had some of the best architects including: John Donaldson, Louis Kamper, Wirt Rowland, and the very famous Albert Kahn.
As Quicken Loans begins to prepare to migrate from the suburbs to the heart of the city of Detroit, many decisions need to be made; some easy and others more difficult. One of the many decisions to be made is the location that the new headquarters will be built upon. One location is the former site of the historic Detroit Statler Hotel located on Washington Boulevard facing Grand Circus Park. The other location is the former site of the historic J.L. Hudson department store on Woodward Avenue north of Campus Martius. While we have expressed interest in developing both locations, one thing that many people may not pay attention to is what each of these locations has meant to the city of Detroit in the past…during Detroit 1.0.
No matter which location Quicken Loans chooses to build a new headquarters on, there are many Detroiters that have fond memories of the buildings that once resided on both sites. Both locations were homes to architecture that brought great awe to the city and the rest of the world. Whether it was the size, or the ornate details in the architecture, or the amenities that each building offered Detroiters, the city was proud to have these places which people came from all over to experience. They were known by many labels, such as the “first” or the “largest” or the “best” in the world. Labels that no doubt can be used in relation to Quicken Loans, and the goals that we set out to achieve as being the largest and the best in our own industry.
Whatever scale you measure these two buildings against, it’s clear that they were an expression of what Detroit was all about at that time. We wanted the world to recognize us for our achievements. We wanted tourists to come, visit, and enjoy what Detroit had to offer. Detroit wanted to build bigger, better, and more successful businesses to compete with the likes of Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.
What follows is a brief look at the two architectural pieces of art that formerly stood on the two sites that Quicken Loans has decided to develop on. Whichever site we choose, I truly believe that we should pay some sort of tribute to these former buildings and businesses. Whether it’s something as small as a historical display in our lobby, or something as grand as an architectural design to the exterior of our headquarters that is a “tip of the hat” to the original building on the site…I think we should show Detroit that we haven’t forgotten where we came from. We haven’t forgotten what made Detroit 1.0 a fantastic place to be. We build on that, improve on it, and bring that excitement back to the city in as grand of a fashion.
The J.L. Hudson Department Store
The J.L. Hudson Department Store was the essence of Christmas in Detroit for many years after it was constructed in 1923. 
For many Detroiters, the “real” Santa was always at Hudson’s. People came from all over just to experience the elaborate displays and shop at one of the largest department stores in the world. Meeting outside Hudson’s at the Kern’s clock was a regular occurrence for Detroiter’s.
Hudson’s was also known to have the largest American Flag ever made, and would display it on the outside of the building facing Woodward Avenue. The flag was donated to the Smithsonian in 1976.
Started by The J.L. Hudson Company, the Thanksgiving Day parade down Woodward Avenue is one of Detroit’s longest-running and most beloved traditions. The Hudson’s Building was an iconic landmark to the city of Detroit.
Currently, the former site of Hudson’s is home to a large underground parking garage that is built in a way that a building could be mounted on top of it. It is situated directly next to the Compuware headquarters north of Campus Martius on Woodward Avenue.
The Detroit Statler Hotel
Brought into existence by the determined vision of famous hotelier E.M. Statler, The Statler Hotel was actually part of a chain of hotels with locations in Buffalo, Cleveland, St. Louis, New York, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and a few other cities. It anchored one side of Washington Boulevard, with the Book-Cadillac Hotel (currently under renovation) on the other end.
Originally opened in 1915, it had 800 rooms and was later expanded to 1000 rooms with an addition added to the back of the building. It was the first 1000 room hotel in the Midwest. All rooms in the hotel had an outside view, in a manner of speaking. There was a “light tower” built in the middle of the hotel to allow natural light to hit even the inside rooms. It also contained a large freight elevator capable of lifting 14,000 lbs., typically used to haul automobiles up to the ball rooms for display in auto shows (before Cobo Hall was around of course).
Harry Houdini was known to have stayed in the Statler Hotel in October of 1926 during his last performance at the nearby Garrick Theater (demolished in 1928).
The Statler fell on some hard times during the 1960’s and 1970’s as did many other buildings and businesses in Detroit. 
Ownership changed hands many times; the hotel underwent many plans for renovation, and was renamed a few times to names like The Statler Hilton and The Detroit Heritage Hotel. With occupancy falling at alarming rates in all hotels in Detroit, the Statler was one of the first to close its doors among others that were closed at the time including: the Tuller Hotel across the street, and the Fort Shelby Hotel. It remained closed for 30 years, forgotten and unknown to the public until it was demolished in 2005.
The site of the former Statler Hotel (and the former Tuller Hotel across the street) is currently an empty lot awaiting redevelopment. It faces Grand Circus Park, Comerica Park, and Ford Field.
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