Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Construction |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.2539 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W , exterior photo taken at street level; the picture shows a view looking obliquely at one side of the new store; the corner building comprises a high ground floor topped by a conventional height floor; display windows are being built the full width of ground; a narrow marquee runs above the windows and wraps around corner; facing of large rectangular stone plates covers the facade; a strip of unconnected wide windows spans the width of the second floor; photographic inscription in lower right hand corner "Store - West Palm Beach, Fla.\Owner - S. H. Kress and Co.\Contractor - J. Hilbert Sapp Inc.\Date DEC 2, 1949\DISPLAY FRONT N"; stamp "RECEIVED\DEC 9 49"", numerous sign-off initials |
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 |
West Palm Beach, Florida |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 77 Address: 400 Clematis Street Facade Material: Steel, limestone veneer Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Kress Architectural Staff Contractors: |
Date |
12/15/1949 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 100 photographs, 26 plans, 6 inches of documents Book Description: "The store was constructed in 1949 on a corner lot. The Kress architectural staff designed the building, which has a steel skeleton faced with limestone veneer that alternates in height from course to course. The facades on Clemantis and South Poinsettia include sets of strip windows that add to the horizontal appearance given the building by its stone work and massing. The main doors faced the diagonally clipped corner, where a Kress sign of large neon letters was mounted vetically above the entrances. The store closed in 1974." |
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 construction |
Search Terms |
corner steel skeleton limestone veneer South Poinsettia Street strip horizontal stone massing diagonal neon letter Store 77 West Palm Beach Florida 400 Clematis Street photograph |