Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.2190 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W , exterior photo taken at ground level; the picture shows an overall view looking diagonally from opposite corner at a two-story corner store; the exterior is plain white stucco; ornamentation is restricted to horizontal ribs between the three sets of second-story front windows; side street facade is unadorned; a display window spans the width of the facade and wraps around the corner for one section; two wide entries are recessed symmetrically in right three fourths of the window; a narrower entry is in the middle of the left-hand fourth; signs under central set of second-story windows and around corner "S. H. KRESS & CO."; photographic inscription in lower right corner "S. H. KRESS COMPANY\SAN MARCO BLVD\JACKSONVILLE, FLA.\OCT. 21 1957"; stamps on back "MARSH-KORNEGAY Inc.\Photographers\1957 SAN MARCO BLVD. PH FL 9-6939\JACKSONVILLE 7, FLORIDA\PHOTOGRAPH NO. 106241\DATE OCT 22 1957" and "RECEIVED\OCT 31 57"; 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 |
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 |
10/21/1957 |
Photographer |
Marsh-Kornegay |
Studio |
Marsh-Kornegay |
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 building exterior |
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 |