Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Property Survey |
Object Name |
Drawing |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company Collection |
Description |
Blue line copy of property survey of mall containing Kress store. Also includes legal description and floor areas. Completed by Harper & Kemp Architects, and Mickle-Bell Associates (engineer consultants). |
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 |
1989.13.2.12.1 |
Credit Line |
Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc. |
Area / Region |
Fort Smith, Arkansas |
Building Information |
Building Style: Modern Façade Material: Brick, plate-glass, porcelain-enamel panels Genesco Store Number: 364 Address: 5111 Rogers Avenue Drawing Number: None |
Creator |
Harper & Kemp Architects |
Other Creators |
Drawn by H.L.P. |
Year |
1968 |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Medium |
Blue Line |
Scale |
1 in = 100 ft |
Dimension |
24" x 36 1/16" |
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 |
1968 blue line copy architectural survey property legal description floor areas Harper & Kemp Architects Mickle-Bell Associates engineer consultants brick plate-glass porcelain enamel panels Modern discount variety store Central Mall Harper and Kemp Dallas Texas shopping mall Fort Smith Arkansas interstate highway Store 364 5111 Rogers Avenue Rogers Avenue S.H. Kress & Co drawing |
Address |
Fort Smith, Arkansas |
Building Material |
Mickle-Bell Associates (engineer consultants) |