Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of Kress building from a side angle |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.5399 |
Description |
Print, photographic; B&W exterior photo taken at ground level; the picture shows a view looking at a slight angle at the back of tge store; a row of barred windows spans the width of the back high on the tall ground floor; a row of sash windows tops this on second floor; freight door shows at base of elevator shaft; pencilled notation on back "Kingsport, Tenn\10/5/56" and "KINGSPORT\TENN" |
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 |
Kingsport, Tennessee |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 325 Address: 220 Broad Street Facade Material: 1929 - Brick, terra cotta; 1958 - porcelain enamel Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
10/5/1956 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 57 photographs Book Description: "This 1929 store shared a block with F.W. Woolworth, W.T. Grant, and Charles Stores. The austere façade was brick with terracotta cornice, window surrounds, parapet coping, and company logo. In 1958 projecting terracotta on the old store was removed, and the façades of the original structure and an addition were clad with porcelain enamel panels. The store went out of business in 1974, but the building still stands." |
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 Kress side parking lot |
Search Terms |
F.W. Woolworth W.T. Grant Charles Store austere brick terracotta terra cotta cornice parapet clad porcelain enamel panel Store 325 Kingsport Tennessee 220 Broad Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |