Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of Kress store back alley |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.3765 |
Description |
Print, photographic; B&W; exterior photo taken at street level; picture shows a view looking at the back of the Kress store; the masonry building has a low extension that sticks into the alley; the main part of the building shows a row of heavily barred windows on the lower floor; tops of windows on the top floor are alternately square and arched; stamps on back of print "BILL BABBERT PHOTOGRAPHS\157 PARK AVE\LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA"; "RECEIVED\FEB 23 51"; "STORE #475\LAKE CHARLES, LA." |
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 |
Lake Charles, Louisiana |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 475 Address: 835 Ryan Street Facade Material: Brick Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
2/23/1951 |
Photographer |
Bill Babbert |
Studio |
Bill Babbert |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 42 photographs Book Description: "The Lake Charles store was housed in a two-story building with a heavy denticulated cornice, a simple marquee, a parapet with the logo, and deeply recessed entrances providing space for long show-windows. A variety of brick patterns provided surface articulation. The sales area had hardwood floors and a pressed-metal ceiling. The building was enlarged and renovated in 1957, when new show-windows, entrances, sales area decor, and a marquee sign were installed and porcelain enamel panels placed over the mezzanine windows. The store went out of business in 1979." |
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 store back alley with the parking lot v |
Search Terms |
two-story heavy denticulated cornice simple marquee parapet logo recessed variety brick pattern articulation hardwood pressed-metal enlarged renovated porcelain enamel panel Store 475 Lake Charles Louisiana 835 Ryan Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |