For 85 years, Sanders did business at this location on Woodward Avenue – 1529 Woodward, just south of Grand Circus Park.
That’s until the December of 1982, when, according to newspaper reports, it closed up shop. The signage was was covered over, and except in the minds of the older among us, the downtown Detroit store was forgotten.
Sanders was founded in 1875 and is a legendary name in Detroit and is the company that makes all kinds of sweet treats like bumpy cake, candies and hot fudge.
The words “Sanders” are unmistakable from across the street and are actually engraved into the facade.
According to a reader, this facade with the “Sanders” was installed in 1948, nearly 70 years ago. Below is the original facade from 1912.
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In the 1970s, Sanders as a company had ran into trouble. At one point it had 143 outlets, but competition drove it to the brink of erasure.
The brand and the recipes were purchased by Morley Candy Company in 2002. Now there are seven Sanders stores in the region and two on Mackinac Island.
According to a promotion site for Bedrock, the 60,422 square foot building will become office and retail space.
Sachse Construction is the construction management firm, hired by Bedrock Detroit to lead the historic restoration and the core and shell work of the buildings.
“The Grinnell and Sanders Buildings have been part of the fabric of the city for more than 100 years,” said Todd Sachse, CEO of Sachse Construction when reached for comment. “Having our headquarters in Detroit, we understand the importance of our city’s history firsthand and we’re proud to lead the historic restoration on this project, preserving these buildings for use by future generations.”
So what’s next? Work on this stretch of Woodward began in late 2016 and is expected to be complete in early 2018.
