Jacobson’s: Construction of the Superblock
“We have always enjoyed Jacobson’s. Whenever I go to a shower, someone almost always comments [on] the box from Jacobson’s is my gift because all showers, graduations, weddings, and of course Christmas gifts are from Jacobson’s. Weichmann’s, Heavenrich’s and Seitners are next.
“We have walked from one end of Fashion Square Mall to the other and did not find what we wanted.”
–Anonymous letter to The Saginaw News, September 26, 1976.
Sometimes anniversaries are right before your eyes, or in this case, directly across the street from the Castle Museum–the former Jacobson’s Store.
Fifty years ago this summer, the finishing touches were being put on the expansion of the downtown Saginaw Jacobson’s. The retailer was transforming its elegant, but modestly-scaled, downtown Saginaw store into a flagship for the chain–it was dubbed a “superblock.”
This link will take you on a tour of the store in 1955 (Spoiler Alert – the program contains some of the text that appears below, but there is much that is new.)
The Jacobson’s company opened a branch in downtown Saginaw in 1944. Eleven years later, the retailer opened a new store in Saginaw on the southwest corner of South Jefferson and Federal Avenues. Advertised as the largest and most modern in the chain, it thrived for decades. In 1976, it was transformed. When work was completed, the department store covered an entire city block. The photographs that accompany this post capture the construction of the additions, which increased the footprint of the store to an entire city block. By late summer, the work was nearing completion and a September 12, 1976, advertisement warned customers, “while our store is being landscaped please use our Baum Street Entrance. You have been so patient while we’ve been creating a bigger, more beautiful Jacobson’s. Now we are putting on the finishing touches including a new sidewalk all around.”
And by the fall of 1976, featuring new departments and two restaurants, the expanded Jacobson’s Superblock was ready for holiday shopping.
...And this is where we cheat and send you an earlier post.
For many years, Jacobson’s thrived in downtown Saginaw. However, by the 1990s, the Jacobson’s chain was in financial trouble, and in 2001, the Saginaw branch was closed. The following year, the last units of the corporation were liquidated. The 1955 building had never been owned by the firm. After the store closed, the Saginaw owner of the building gave it to the Saginaw Community Foundation. It was acquired by the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History in 2004, and now provides a home for the museum’s collections.
However, let us pretend it is 1976. As we enter the new Jacobson’s, we are reminded of what one writer to The Saginaw News wrote, “It is hard to believe that people won’t flock there just for the joy of shopping in such a magnificent store.” (The Saginaw News, September 26, 1976.) For many years they did–and greatly enjoyed the experience and the things they purchased.
Writer’s note:
We confess–we still have a Pavlovian response to the retailer’s iconic silver box with a red ribbon. Whenever I receive a gift in a silver box, I am eager to say thank you, and then I realize it is a pallid imposter–or a very old, reused box.
For more information on the history of the Jacobson’s chain, the book, Jacobson’s, I Miss It So!, The Story of a Michigan Fashion Institution by Bruce Allen Kopytek, provides a detailed history
The Recipe: Jacobson’s Beer Cheese Soup
When the Jacobson’s Superblock opened in 1976, the main restaurant was the Machus Hungry Fox. However, in 1981, the operation of the restaurant was taken over by Jacobson’s–this was typical of the department store’s dining venues.
“Diners at Jacobson’s will notice the eatery has undergone a facelift to match its menu. The color scheme is light and airy. A lounge with a homey atmosphere had been added.” (The Saginaw News, November 24, 1981.)
The Castle team members of a certain age remember having cheese soup at Jacobson’s. We found this interpretation online:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup celery, finely diced
½ cup leeks (white part only) finely diced
½ cup carrots, finely diced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups beef broth
1 bottle light beer, 12 ounces
1 pound Vermont Cheddar
1 Pound Cheddar (orange)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Fresh chives, snipped for garnish.
Melt butter in soup pot and add the celery, leeks and carrots, cooking over low heat for 3 minutes. Add flour and stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Add the broth and beer. Bring slowly to a simmer so vegetables become tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Grate cheeses. While still over low heat, add the cheeses slowly, whisking the soup until smooth. Add cayenne, black pepper and salt. Cook until heated through but do not boil, as the soup will separate. Garnish with chives. Serves 6.
CTK Note:
The directions in the recipe worked well – except we had a great deal of difficulty in melting and whisking the cheese into a consistent, lump-free mixture. We don’t have a full answer. You will need to experiment and let us know how you solved this issue.
The knives in the photographs were purchased from Jacobson’s in the mid-1980s. They have served us well.
Note: As we were completing this post, we discovered a recipe for cheese soup claimed to be from the Hungry Fox. The CTK will be returning to Jacobson’s soon.
