Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Insurance Map of S.H. Kress & Co. Store No. 134 |
Object Name |
Drawing |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company Collection |
Description |
Black ink with color shading plan drawing of the S.H. Kress & Co. Store No. 134 (this was changed by Genesco to Store No. 5). The drawing is an insurance map of the two-story store's floor plan, created by the Marsh & McLennan Inc., Insurance-New York. |
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 |
1989.13.2.1.15a |
Credit Line |
Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc. |
Area / Region |
Bessemer, Alabama |
Building Information |
Building Style: Unknown Façade Material: Brick, sheet metal cornice, marble base to show windows, iron grillwork, prismatic glass transom Genesco Store Number: 5 Address: 1912 Second Avenue North Drawing Number: I-5528 |
Creator |
Marsh & McLennan Inc., Insurance-New York |
Year |
1940 |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Medium |
Black ink with color shad |
Scale |
1 in = 50 ft |
Dimension |
10 3/4" x 8 5/8" |
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 |
1915 1940 architectural insurance plan store map layout black ink color Marsh & McLennan Inc. Insurance New York Bessemer Alabama Store 5 1912 Second Avenue North Mercantile District S.H. Kress & Co cornice base show windows grillwork prismatic transom attached Second Avenue north mid-block structural masonry walls columns beams concrete foundation enlarged façade denticulated cast-iron band mezzanine windows sign width parapet company logo center sets double doors flanked show windows sales area high pressed ceiling metal support galvanized iron removed McCrory Stores purchased drawing |
Address |
Bessemer, Alabama |