Downtown Detroit is witnessing a transformative moment with the completion of the Hudson's Detroit office building, a development that nods to the city's historic J.L. Hudson Department Store while ushering in a modern workspace era. This 12-story structure at 1240 Woodward Avenue offers over 400,000 square feet of office space and is poised to house prominent tenants, including General Motors, as reported by The Detroit News. The building, which stands on the footprint of what was once the world's tallest department store, features an expansive seven-story atrium, with a skylight reminiscent of a 1954 Corvette headlight cover, aiming to create an inviting atmosphere flooded with natural light.
Several retailers have already opened their doors within the new development, including ALO and the upcoming Tecovas tomorrow, providing both wellness apparel and Western outfitting to Detroit shoppers; these join the ranks of Bedrock's other prominent Woodward corridor tenants like Apple and Nike, as outlined by CBS News Detroit. The structure's amenities are noteworthy, with offerings such as a fitness center, sports simulators, and multiple meeting spaces, some businesses have already opened including Alo on the first floor, and The Department at Hudson's, an event venue, has already hosted several events, as such components are designed to cater to the modern worker's needs, juggling productivity with recreation, General Motors has committed to four floors of the building for its new headquarters, indicative of the larger trend toward quality workspaces post-pandemic.
The project, led by real estate firm Bedrock, represents a significant investment in Detroit's revitalization. Bedrock Senior Vice President Jonathan Mueller emphasized during a media tour that "the vision, in part with Bedrock and our architect SHoP Architects, was to create best-in-class office space" and indicated they are "substantially leased" at this point, as The Detroit News disclosed. This project also significantly acknowledges Detroit's history with the addition of Nick Gilbert Way, a civic space named in remembrance of Nick Gilbert, whose legacy is now intertwined with the city's urban fabric.
