Photo Record

Images

1 of 1977

View Image Metadata

Metadata

Title

Exterior view of Kress store front

Object Name

Print, Photographic

Collection

S.H. Kress & Company

Catalog Number

1989.13.1.5963

Description

Print, photographic; exterior B&W photo taken at street level; the picture shows a view looking from across street at an oblique at a very contemporary four story corner store; a deep marquee covers the sidewalk in front of the display windows that run the full length of the ground floor; strips of windows on upper three floor are separated by slightly recessed spandrels; a thin raised frame surrounds the whole window assembly on facade; large vertical Kress sign runs diagonally full height of building on corner; stamps stamps on back "Bob Bailey fine photography\NRGATIVE NUMBER\17446-17\515 TAFT\(AT BUFFALO DR.) KE-6625\HOUSTON TEXAS" back (Image 2); inked "9-3-51", stamp "STORE #641\701 MAIN ST.\HOUSTON 2, TEX."; "RECEIVED\SEP 10 51"; pencilled "Capitol Ave W to E"

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

Houston, Texas

Additional Notes

Genesco Store Number: 641
Address: 701 North Main Street
Facade Material: 1913 - Terra cotta; 1952 - red granite, buff limestone addition
Style: 1913 - Unknown; 1952 - International Style addition
Primary Building Architect: 1913 - Seymour Burrell; 1952 - Unknown
Contractors:

Date

9/3/1951

Photographer

Bob Bailey

Studio

Bob Bailey

Orig/Copy

Original

Medium

Photographic paper

Object Category

8: Communication Artifact

Donor

Genesco Inc.

Notes on Related Objects

Related Units: 54 photographs, 100 plans, 33 inches of documents
Book Description: "A Houston store opened in 1900. This 1913 building, designed by Seymour Burrell, shows the influence of Louis Sullivan in its terracotta cladding, heavy cornice, rusticated lower floors, and massed windows. Both facades of this corner structure are divided from ground level to cornice by piers, which are heavier on either side of the outer bays. Between piers at ground level are the usual show-windows, curving inward to form vestibules at the entries. Windows are set three across in each bay, starting at the mezzanine and continuing the full height of the piers. Cartouches and swags decorate a string-course below and the spandrels at the eighth floor. Kress occupied the basement, first, and second floors, with remaining space rented for offices. In 1952 a four-story International Style addition, clad in red granite and buff colored limestone, was built. The store closed in 1981, and the building was converted to an office building by Ray B. Bailey."

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