Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Plans and Elevations of Store at Cairo, Illinois |
Object Name |
Drawing, Architectural |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company Collection |
Description |
Ink on gel lithograph plan of entire store includinng second floor, office, boiler room, as well as elevations of the front and rear perspectives |
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 |
1989.13.2.53.1 |
Credit Line |
Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc. |
Area / Region |
Cairo, Illinois |
Building Information |
Genesco Store Number: 151 Address: 913 Commercial Avenue Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Drawing Number: A-1 |
Creator |
Julius H. Zeitmer (Architect) |
Year |
20th C |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Scale |
1/4 in = 1 ft |
Dimension |
31 1/2" x 47 1/4" |
Lexicon category |
8: Communication Objects |
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 |
two-story renovate Julius H. Zeitner pattern Seymour Burrell expansion adjoining Store 151 Cairo Illinoi 913 Commercial Avenue S.H. Kress & Co drawing |