Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Details of Oil Cloth Rack and Window Shade Rack |
Object Name |
Drawing |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company Collection |
Description |
Blue print copy of details of oil cloth rack and window shade rack. Includes elevation and section drawings. Also includes specification notes on the drawing. |
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 |
1989.13.2.6.20 |
Credit Line |
Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc. |
Area / Region |
Birmingham, Alabama |
Building Information |
Building Style: Unknown Façade Material: Brick (terra cotta) Genesco Store Number: 23 Address: 3008 27th Street North Drawing Number: No. B1 |
Creator |
Unknown |
Year |
Unknown |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Medium |
Blue Print |
Scale |
None |
Dimension |
13 1/8" x 8 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 |
architectural blue print blueprint details oil cloth rack window shade elevation section specification notes brick terra cotta Business District 3008 27th Street North Birmingham Alabama Store 23 S.H. Kress & Co terracotta attached 27th Street north clad light colored cornice trim double entrance flanked curved plate-glass show windows strip mezzanine windows sign wide façade porcelain enamel panels McCrory Stores purchased drawing |
Address |
Birmingham, Alabama |