Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.3554 |
Description |
Print, photographic; B&W; interior photo taken at floor level; the picture shows a close up view looking head on at an interior wall display case; a sign on the back wall of the glass fronted case reads "WHISTLE WHILE YOU WALK"; photographic inscription in lower right corner "ROCKFORD, ILL."; stamp on back "RECEIVED\IN ARCH. DIV\JUN 3 1938" |
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 |
Rockford, Illinois |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 153 Address: 16 North Main Street Facade Material: Terra cotta Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: |
Date |
6/3/1938 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 70 photographs Book Description: "Edward F. Sibbert was the architect of this 1938 Art Deco building, featuring a terracotta façade with simple abstract ornamentation across the top and above the windows which are linked by dark spandrels. After the store closed in 1974, the façade was stripped of some of its terracotta elements, and new entrances were added. The building now houses the New American Theater." |
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 |
Edward F. Sibbert Art Deco terracotta terra cotta simple abstract ornamentation dark spandrel element New American Theater Store 153 Rockford Illinois 16 North Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |