Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of Kress store front |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.3947 |
Description |
Print, photographic; B&W;exterior photo taken at street level; picture shows a view looking at the store from across the street at a slight angle; a full height display window spans the ground floor of the double height one story structure; metal-framed entry doors are recessed towards the ends of the display window; the facade from above the roll-up awning to the top of the building is faced with smooth stone panels; gold letters on wide signboard on facia read "5-10-25 c STORE S. H. KRESS & CO. 5-10-25c STORE"; pencilled notations on back "Greenville, Miss\long sign replaces plain letters" and "Greenville, (NC xd out) Miss; stamp "RECEIVED\MAY 14 51" |
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 |
Greenville, Mississippi |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 173 Address: 509 Washington Avenue Facade Material: Pale marble above show windows Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: |
Date |
5/14/1951 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 17 photographs, 40 plans, 4.5 inches of documents Book Description: "Kress first opened in Greenville in 1915. In 1948 the new one-story Cleveland Building, designed by the Kress architectural staff under Edward F. Sibbert, was constructed for the owner of this leased site. Pale polished marble above the show-windows matches the light colored brick of an adjoining Sears store. The interior was very plain, with suspended tile ceiling, exposed steel columns, unadorned walls, and maple floors. 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 Kress store front |
Search Terms |
one-story Cleveland Building Edward F. Sibbert lease pale polished marble light colored brick Sears suspended tile ceiling steel exposed unadorned maple Store 173 Greenville Mississippi 509 Washington Avenue S.H. Kress & Co photograph |