Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Completed Front Façade |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.256a |
Description |
Black and white photographic print shows head-on, street-level view of completed building. Facade presents a classic almost bank-like appearance. Front is divided into three segments with broad pilasters at the edges and two massive fluted columns with ionic capitals set symmetrically in the middle. Very large first and second story windows are deeply recessed and divided by decorated spandrels. A very elaborate parapet rests on the top inscribed with the legend "KRESS". This is topped by a classical garnish. Full height display windows on the ground floor run the whole length of the store except where interupted by the two symmetrically disposed double entry doors. A massive deep canopy with a highly decorated face covers the sidewalk. Inscription on front: "Montgomery, Ala." Hand written notation on back: "Opened 12-6-29". Includes one copy negative (1989.13.1.256b). |
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 |
Montgomery, Alabama |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 21 Address: 39 Dexter Avenue Facade Material: Granite, terra cotta, brick Style: Greek Revival Primary Building Architect: George E. MacKay Contractors: |
Date |
12/1929 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 63 photographs, 10.5 inches of documents Book Description: "The third store opened in Montgomery in 1897. By 1920 it was located here, in a building that suffered extensive damage in a 1928 fire. The replacement Greek Revival store, designed by company architect George E. MacKay, is unlike most earlier stores in that the exterior has a unified stylistic appearance. The main façade is granite and gray terracotta, with a less refined but still attractive brick and terracotta elevation on Monroe Street. The main sales area had a terrazzo floor, mahogany counters and cabinets, marble wainscoting, and fluted pilasters with acanthus capitals. The Kress coat of arms and plaster wall sconces with shell motif adorned the walls. As in most southern stores, lunch counters, drinking fountains, restrooms, and employee facilities were racially segregated until the 1960s. McCrory Stores purchased this operation in 1980 and still operates it as a Kress store." |
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 exterior front view, taken in December 1929 ( |
Search Terms |
complete front pilaster fluted ionic column capital symmetrical spandrel elaborate parapet legend garnish double entry door canopy sidewalk George E. MacKay stone façade iron marque rear brick terra cotta terracotta replacement Greek Revival gray granite terrazzo floor mahogany counters cabinets wainscot marble fluted pilasters acanthus Mercantile Store 21 39 Dexter Avenue Montgomery Alabama Dexter Avenue Monroe Street McCrory Stores S.H. Kress & Co photograph |