Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of building wall |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.6435 |
Description |
Print, photographic; exterior B&W photo taken at elevated level; picture shows a view looking up at the upper part of the back wall of a masonry building; numerous cracks run down the height of the wall; stamp on back "RECEIVED\JUN 20 1936"; extensive typed commentary (see Image 2) |
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 |
Wichita Falls, Texas |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 673 Address: 808 Indiana Avenue Facade Material: 1914 - Unknown; 1937 - brick, terra cotta Style: 1914 - Unknown; 1937 - Art Deco Primary Building Architect: 1914 - Seymour Burrell; 1937 - Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: |
Date |
6/11/1936 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 92 photographs, 131 plans, 10 inches of documents Book Description: "The Wichita Falls store opened in 1914 in leased space renovated by Kress architect Seymour Burrell. In 1937 that building and an adjoining one were demolished, to be replaced by a two-story Art Deco structure designed by Edward F. Sibbert. This property was under long-term lease, with the building erected at Kress expense. The first-story facade consisted of the standard arrangement of recessed double entrances flanked by show-windows on dark marble bases. The building was clad in brick above the marquee, with vertical bands of brick dividing the facade in thirds. Terracotta was used to trim the second-floor and mezzanine strip windows, for the scalloped parapet coping, and on the corners from ground level to the parapet. A 1959 interior renovation converted the basement to sales space. The store closed in 1974." |
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 a building wall |
Search Terms |
lease renovation Seymour Burrell demolished two-story Art Deco Edward F. Sibbert lease marble base clad brick marquee terracotta terra cotta trim mezzanine scalloped parapet coping Store 673 Wichita Falls Texas 808 Indiana Avenue photograph |