Photo Record

Images

1 of 1977

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Metadata

Title

Interior view of Kress sales floor

Object Name

Print, Photographic

Collection

S.H. Kress & Company

Catalog Number

1989.13.1.6403a

Description

Print, photographic; interior B&W photo taken at floor level; picture shows a view looking at straight down the length of a store along a side aisle; art deco style light fixtures hang from the high ceiling; merchandise is displayed on open waist high counters and wall shelves at right; candy counter with slanted glass front is at right; logo in bottom right margin "R. L. Falkner STUDIO TYLER\TEXAS"; stamps on back "RECEIVED\OCT 15 1963" and "R. L. Falkner's Studios\325 So. Bois d"Arc\Tyler Texas - Ph LY 3-9064"

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

Tyler, Texas

Additional Notes

Genesco Store Number: 667
Address: 114 West Erwin Street
Facade Material: Brick
Style: Unknown
Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert
Contractors:

Date

10/15/1963

Photographer

Falkner's Studios

Studio

Falkner's Studios

Orig/Copy

Original

Medium

Photographic paper

Object Category

8: Communication Artifact

Donor

Genesco Inc.

Notes on Related Objects

Related Units: 59 photographs, 68 plans
Book Description: "Edward F. Sibbert designed this store, which faced Erwin Street and incorporated a smaller building on College Street. The Erwin Street elevation had three stories, with show-windows and two sets of entrances on the first floor. The upper stories were faced with brick and each had a band of strip windows. The interior had wooden trim and counters, but was more austere than pre-World War II locations. The store was in operation from 1948 to 1977."

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