Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Counter Layout, First Floor |
Object Name |
Drawing, Architectural |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company Collection |
Description |
Black line drawing on white showing the counter layout of the first floor at the Memphis, TN store. Red pencil marks have been drawn over top of the initial drawing, making additional edits to the plan itself. |
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. The first Kress variety store opened in Memphis in an existing two-story building in 1896. The site, typical of the stores opened prior to WWII, was on a streetcar line in a retail district. It was relocated in 1927 to a purpose-built structure for the department store. A direct descendant of the first store, the 1927 building is one of the liveliest and most elaborately embellished structures. Designed by Kress architect E.J.T Hoffman, the four story building has show windows and double doors at the street level. The upper stories have large windows and elaborate terra cotta detailing that includes cornucopia, cartouches, festoons, and floral ornament. The heads of bald eagles project at the parapet base, while lions heads emerge from the piers. McCrory Stores purchased the location in 1980. |
Currently On Display In |
Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.2.92.16 |
Credit Line |
Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc. |
Area / Region |
Memphis, Tennessee |
Building Information |
Genesco Store Number 329 Address: 9 North Main Street |
Creator |
T.M.F. |
Other Creators |
B.H.R. ; S.S. ; J.F.W. ; D.G. ; M.W. |
Year |
10/5/1955 |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Medium |
paper |
Scale |
1/8" = 1' |
Dimension |
26 3/4" x 14 1/2" |
Search Terms |
elaborate embellished four-story E.J.T. Hoffman tripartite pier terracotta terra cotta cornucopia cartouches festoon floral ornament bald eagle parapet base lion head renovation James B. Bell and Associates McCrory Stores relocation Store 329 Memphis Tennessee 9 North Main Street S.H. Kress & Co drawing |