The huge dust cloud from the imploded J.L. Hudson’s building on Woodward Avenue in 1998 has been long been settled.

Across the street from the old Hudson’s site in Detroit, no doubt some of that dust is now being cleaned out from a lineup of buildings that are now called the Lofts of Merchant’s Row. The development calls for Turner Construction and the building trades to gut and transform the row of buildings – most of them about 90 years old – into retail and loft space.

The $30 million project will have about 157 units in several buildings along the west side of Woodward. Plans call for the construction of a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 820 square-feet to 1,500 square-feet. The lofts will have 12- to 15-foot ceilings with exposed duct work and floor plans.

Turner referred questions about the project to Kern Woodward Associates, a partnership between Schostak Bros. and The Sterling Group, who could not be reached for comment.

Robert Kraemer, principal architect for the project for the Kraemer Design Group, said this project “will create a sense of neighborhood in a key block of Woodward that has long been neglected. The restoration of the exterior of the building will be a significant contribution to the improvements that are planned for Woodward Avenue, and the interiors will be all-new with great views and modern amenities that will make this a great place to live.”

The development was spurred by construction of the new $350 million Compuware headquarters building, which was substantially completed last fall. Merchants Row sits across Woodward and a little to the north of Compuware. Directly across Woodward is a below-ground parking deck where the Hudson’s building used to be located.

Merchant’s Row was given that name in reference to the types of buildings that occupied the site before Detroit’s downtown was abandoned in many areas in the 1970s. In recent years, Merchant’s Row had housed shops with seedy storefronts, most of them empty. Some of the shops continue to operate, although the developer is in negotiations to buy them out.

The renovated buildings will literally be a shell of their former selves, with only the architecturally interesting storefronts kept in place. Plans also call for the construction of a parking deck to serve the residents.

THE LOFTS OF MERCHANTS ROW development is taking place along Woodward Avenue in Detroit. There are more buildings to the right. These buildings sit across from the old J.L. Hudson's department store site, which is now marked by the stumps of iron. The iron will anchor any new development. A parking deck was constructed below.

IRON WORKER LaNard Graham goes to work between the shelled out area between two Merchant's Row buildings.