The Department

The Hudson’s project is one of Detroit’s most ambitious downtown developments since the construction of the Renaissance Center in the 1970s. As part of the project, The Department (DEPT) was created as a future-facing event space intended to attract and host leading conferences, gatherings, and cultural programming.

The name pays tribute to the historic J.L. Hudson’s Department Store, which stood as a defining landmark in downtown Detroit for much of the 20th century. The visual identity strikes a deliberate balance between past and future—blending retro cues that honor the original department store with a modern sensibility that reflects the innovation and ambition behind the new space.