The building, originally occupied by the Ypsilanti Electric Company in 1896, became a Dodge automobile dealership in 1917, and Joseph H. Thompson was one of the first Dodge dealers in Michigan. In 1933 Hudson Sales and Services opened there and later became Miller Motor Sales. In 1997 Miller Motors teamed up with the Ypsilanti Historical Society to create the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection. Miller Motor Sales was the last Hudson car dealership in the world. The Hudson Car Company began in 1909 under J.L. Hudson of department store fame, and the last Hudson car was produced in 1957 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Hudson automobiles remain a collector's favorite, with many still on the road and in collections around the world.