Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Air Conditioning Unit |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.2212 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W , interior photo taken at floor level; the picture shows a view looking up at a massive piece of machinery suspended from the ceiling in a back area of the store; motor and drive belt shroud in left foreground; stamp on back "S. H. KRESS & CO.#57\2002 SAN MARCO BLVD.\JACKSONVILLE 7, FLA\APR 8 1957" typed notation on red-edged label on back "STOCKROOM -- SHOWING AIR CONDITIONING AIR\HANDLING UNIT (WEATHERMAKER)\SUSPENDED FROM CEILING, LOCATED\REAR CENTER OF 2nd FLOOR"; stamp "RECEIVED\APR 15 57" |
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 |
Jacksonville, Florida |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 57 Address: 2002 San Marco Boulevard Facade Material: White stucco Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
4/8/1957 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 59 photographs Book Description: "Kress built an additional Jacksonville store in 1942. For this store, with its streamlined Art Deco façade of white stucco, the traditional inward-curving show-windows were abandoned for flat sheets of glass in frames that angled toward the entrances. Part of the building was sublet to another retailer until 1957 when Kress took over the entire structure. The store closed in 1961." |
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 air conditioning unit |
Search Terms |
additional streamlined Art Deco white stucco inward-curving traditional abandoned flat sheet glass frame angle sublet retailer Store 57 Jacksonville Florida 2002 San Marco Boulevard S.H. Kress & Co photograph |