Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Aisle |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.2000 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W , interior photo taken at floor level; picture shows a close-up view looking diagonally at corner in the drapery department ; curtain rods and hardware are shown on wall display at right; photographic inscription on lower left corner "Store - Colorado Springs, Colo.\Owner - S.H.Kress & Co.\Contractor - Raymond C.Whitlock\Date - Nov. 1st 1961"; stamps on back "RECEIVED\NOV 15 1961" and "Stewart's\COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS & FINISHERS\121 n Tejon St Colorado Springs, Colo"; pencilled sketch and sign-off initials |
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. |
Credit Line |
Courtesy of National Building Museum, gift of Genesco, Inc. |
Place |
Colorado Springs, Colorado |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 383 Address: 23 North Tejon Street Facade Material: Terra cotta, granite, plate-glass, steel Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: Raymond C. Whitlock |
Date |
11/1/1961 |
Photographer |
Stewart's |
Studio |
Stewart's |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 51 photographs Book Description: "Opened in 1932, this store was in an Art Deco two-story building with a matching one-story addition. The polished granite base supported plate-glass and steel show-windows, and the façade above the mezzanine was clad in pale terracotta. Polychrome terracotta ornamentation included friezes with geometric and foliate motifs above and below the mezzanine windows and low-relief foliate panels capping the pilasters. The store closed in 1970." |
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 |
Black and white photograph of aisle |
Search Terms |
Art Deco two-story one-story addition polished granite base plate-glass steel clad pale terracotta terra cotta polychrome terracotta ornamentation frieze geometric foliate motif low-relief panel capping pilaster Store 383 Colorado Springs Colorado 23 North Tejon Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |