Copyright M Live Michigan
DETROIT – The holiday season has officially begun, and downtown Detroit is already welcoming visitors with a new plaza named in honor of Dan and Jennifer Gilbert’s late son. Nick Gilbert Way is the public component of the massive Hudson’s Detroit development, which includes a recently-completed 12-story office building and an already-iconic skyscraper – the state’s second-tallest building – that will host a hotel and condos beginning in 2027. The public promenade, dedicated on Thursday, will feature a collection of pop-up businesses, a French-inspired coffee and pastry truck, and a host of nods to the legendary J.L. Hudson department store that occupied the site at the heart of downtown Detroit for 75 years from 1923 until its demolition in 1998. Dan Gilbert, developer and co-founder of Rocket Mortgage and Bedrock Detroit, was on hand at Thursday’s ribbon cutting to dedicate the plaza in memory of his son Nick. He stood with his son Grant Gilbert. “Let me tell you about Nick Gilbert’s way,” Dan Gilbert said. “He was optimistic, and although he was nearly blind for the last several years of his life, he did have vision. His vision was for hopeful things in the future.” “We’re hoping these buildings and this plaza bring those optimistic visions to this city,” he said. “That was the Nick Gilbert way. He brought people together with a smile on his face that always made you smile, too.” Local businesses will offer retail, food and beverages all year round alongside live entertainment. “For decades, Detroiters and people from all over the state came downtown to Hudson’s, and we hope they’ll do so again,” Dan Gilbert said. Nick Gilbert died on May 6, 2023, at 26 years old due to complications after a lifelong battle with neurofibromatosis. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield were also attended the plaza dedication in his memory. “Like me, he was a proud Spartan... His name will be etched into the infrastructure of this city,” Whitmer said. “This place is a reminder that at the center of Detroit’s revival has always been love and hope: love for family and community, and hope for a brighter future.” The public plaza opened shortly after a ribbon cutting, with dignitaries and members of the public mingling amongst small business booths, holiday decorations and the plaza’s permanent food truck - Un Deux Trois. The truck, a vintage Citroën van operated by Midtown-based Café Sous Terre, offers espresso, local pastries and more. The plaza features mobile booths offering products like clothing, gifts, and jewelry as well as roasted nuts from Woodward Farms and donuts catered by the Department at Hudson’s - the caterer for the event space located inside the nearby office building. Metalsmith Halie Conyers, who first ventured into pop-up holiday events at downtown’s Cadillac Square in 2022 and 2023, said the new space is already giving her new opportunities to connect with Detroiters face-to-face. Her business, Halie & Co., crafts handmade rings, necklaces and permanent jewelry as well as scented candles. “It’s super amazing to be part of this experience, it’s going to be another community hub for us... being able to connect with my community in-person is really wonderful,” she said. “We’re excited to be down here for the whole holiday season, and it already feels like a holiday down here - the cheer is here.” Two covered booths offer a selection of stationery, including stuffed bears reminiscent of the annual limited-edition plush “Santa Bears” that were offered each season at the department store. Wayne Maki, owner of POST, a business that offers Michigan-made stationery, gifts and more out of a former East Side Detroit post office, was there Thursday, stamping gold foil onto holiday cards depicting the nearby skyscraper. His business, which hosts a wealth of Michigan-made art by collective Mutual Adoration, was also a regular feature at the holiday huts. “I love it, they custom scratch-built this space for us, to our specs, which was cool,” he said. ”It’s a lot more laid back, and I think it’ll give me a lot more time to actually have conversations with people." Other nods to the old Hudson’s store include a massive topiary-like statue of a bear facing Woodward Avenue, an updated take on the store’s holiday tradition of mailing letters to Santa Claus, new public-facing window decorations in the vein of the original department store and, most noticeably, a massive U.S. flag hung on the building’s facade along Woodward Avenue. The flag, installed earlier this week, is a scale replica of the one unveiled along the original department store beginning on Armistice Day in 1923. At the time, the 230-by-90-foot banner was believed to be the largest flag of any kind on display in the world. It became an iconic symbol of the city on patriotic holidays as well as during the city’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Staff say the new flag, 114 by 85 feet, is believed to be the largest hanging U.S. Flag. It overlooks Woodward Avenue, and will remain on display through the holiday season. In his closing remarks, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan celebrated the reclaiming of the site, which he described as a “hole in the center of the city for 40 years.” Its 2.3-acre footprint had been a surface parking lot between the demolition of the store in 1998 until the new development broke ground in 2017. Duggan recalled visiting the department store in its final season before it closed in 1983, purchasing a Christmas ornament that he still hangs to this day. “The joy and magic of Hudson’s is back, and it’ll now forever be linked to the joy and magic of Nick Gilbert,” he said.
