Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Merchandise and Cash Register |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.1225 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W; print of a store interior taken at ground level; the picture shows a wide view of the Kress store looking towards the back wall; continuous strips of fluorescent lamps attached to the tiled ceiling provide light; a row of slim square support pillars run from front to back; low free standing open display counters are placed at a diagonal to the axis of the store; checkout counter with cash register is visible front and center; a sign mounted on one of the pillars reads "Welcome to\KRESS VANITY FAIR" ( ying-yang "Whirlygig" logo); stamps on back: ""Photographer to Industry"\DAVID H. SWANLUND\23 FIFTH ST. EUREKA, CALIF. 95501\PHONE (707)443-5654\Negative No. 5\Date 10-27-67", "S. H. KRESS & CO. #814\THE MALL SHOPPING CENTER\800 WEST HARRIS STREET\EUREKA ,CALF. 95501"; typed notation: "Eureka, Harris St. Calif." |
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 |
Eureka, California |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 814 Address: 800 West Harris Street Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Neale B. Penfold and Associates Contractors: |
Date |
10/27/1967 |
Photographer |
David H. Swanlund |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 17 photographs, 4 plans, 5 inches of documents Book Description: "The Mall in Eureka is a partially enclosed suburban shopping center designed by Neale B. Penfold and Associates. Kress occupied 15,000 square feet of leased space there from 1967 to 1980, when the location was purchased by McCrory Stores." |
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 cash register and merchandise |
Search Terms |
Neale B. Penfold and Associates shopping mall mall shopping modern Store 814 enclosed suburban leased purchased McCrory Stores 800 West Harris Street west Harris Street Eureka California S.H. Kress & Co photograph |