Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Kress Electrical Details |
Object Name |
Drawing, Technical |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company Collection |
Description |
Blue print copy of Kress Variety Store electrical details. Drawings include a floor outlet and wall outlet plan, and executone intercom system detail. Notes are also written on the drawing, including intercom system notes, and electrical and lighting fixture designation. William B. Bekemeyer was the project architect. Notes written on drawing in yellow pencil. |
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 |
1989.13.2.16.9 |
Credit Line |
Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc. |
Area / Region |
Rogers, Arkansas |
Building Information |
Genesco Store Number: 373 Address: U.S. Highway 71, Southgate Shopping Center Facade Material: Unknown Style: Shopping Mall Drawing Number: 17 |
Creator |
William B. Bekemeyer |
Year |
1966 |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Medium |
Blue Print |
Scale |
None |
Dimension |
25" x 38 1/8" |
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 |
1966 blue print blueprint copy electrical notes designation fixture item lighting floor outlet wall plan executone intercom system Southgate Shopping Center William B. Bekemeyer Kress Variety Store masonry walls steel roof shopping mall shopping center center highway discount variety store U.S. Highway 71 Southgate Rogers Arkansas Store 737 S.H. Kress & Co drawing |
Address |
Additional Craftsmen: Drawn by W.G.S. |