Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Black Ink Map of Gadsden Property |
Object Name |
Drawing |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company Collection |
Description |
Black ink drawing on linen paper of map of Gadsden store. Completed by T.E. Watford, a registered engineer-surveyer of Gadsden, Alabama in 1950. Includes plan, front view, and cross section drawings. |
Context |
The S.H. Kress & Company, founded by Samuel H. Kress, opened over 300 5-10-25 cent stores in thirty states from New Jersey to Florida and across to California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. The first Kress store opened in Memphis, Tennessee in 1896. Many of the early Kress stores started out in rented spaces. By 1909, the Company began to open its stores in new structures created by S.H. Kress & Company architects like Edward F. Sibbert and Seymour Burrell, or built for it by contractors and held under lease. The Kress stores particularly thrived during the Great Depression, as they sold inexpensive products in luxurious spaces. Kress stores ranged in architectural styles, from Neoclassical to Art Deco to Modern and International. Towards the end of the S.H. Kress & Company life, shopping centers and malls overtook free-standing commercial buildings as the preferred retail locations, and new Kress stores were placed in large multistore structure. In 1964, the S.H. Kress & Company was purchased by Genesco, Incorporated, and the company was liquidated in 1980 and 1981. Some of the buildings have been demolished, while others have been renovated and adapted. The documents, plans, photographs, and objects that were gifted to the National Building Museum by numerous donors provide a rich array of information relevant to business, social, architectural, land use, race relations, and commercial history in the United States. |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.2.4.16 |
Credit Line |
Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc. |
Area / Region |
Gadsden, Alabama |
Building Information |
Building Style: Unknown Façade Material: Brick, stone, iron, prismatic glass Genesco Store Number: 15 Address: 318 Broad Street Drawing Number: None |
Creator |
T.E. Watford (engineer and surveyer) |
Year |
1950 |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Medium |
Linen |
Scale |
Multiple listed |
Dimension |
24 3/4" x 39 11/16" |
Lexicon category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Related Publications |
Wilkerson, Susan, and Hank Griffith. A Guide to the Building Records of S.H. Kress & Co. 5-10-25 Cent Stores at the National Building Museum. Edited by Joyce Eliiot. Washington, DC: National Building Museum Publication Office, 1993. |
Search Terms |
1950 linen architectural map property plan cross section front view T.E. Watford engineer surveyer brick stone iron prismatic glass Store 15 318 Broad Street Gadsden Alabama S.H. Kress & Co coping lintels galvanized grills decorative elements metal vent denticulated cornice company logo parapet stepped altered drawing |
Address |
Gadsden, Alabama |
Building Material |
T.E. Watford (engineer and surveyer) |