Archive Record

Images

1 of 1977

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Metadata

Title

Basement Floor Plan

Object Name

Drawing, Technical

Collection

S.H. Kress & Company Collection

Description

Blue line copy on paper of basement floor plan of Green Cross Store. Other details unknown. Includes two other copies (1989.13.2.19.75a and 1989.13.2.19.75c).

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

1989.13.2.19.75b

Credit Line

Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc.

Area / Region

Calexico, California

Building Information

Genesco Store Number: 809
Address: 244 East Second Street
Facade Material: Stucco
Style: Pueblo
Drawing Number: None

Creator

Unknown

Year

c. 1978

Donor

Genesco Inc.

Medium

Blue Line/Paper

Scale

1/4 in = 1 ft

Dimension

15 5/16" x 19 3/4"

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.

Caption