Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of empty lot |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.5874 |
Description |
Print, photographic; exterior B&W snapshot taken at elevated level; picture shows a view looking down at an empty lot from across street; trucks parked neatly on lot suggests sales display; residential buildings are along lit at left; photographic inscription in lower right corner "S. H. KRESS & CO.\EAGLE PASS, TEX.\August 6, 1963; stamp on back "RIOJAS\AUG 10 1953\Eagle Pass Texas"; architect's sketch (see Image 2) |
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 |
Eagle Pass, Texas |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 623 Address: 230 Main Street Facade Material: Dark brick Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
8/6/1953 |
Photographer |
Riojas |
Studio |
Riojas |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 61 photographs, 29 plans, 8.5 inches of documents Book Description: "This downtown store opened in 1917 in a new two-story building. Unlike most Kress exteriors, which are light in tone, this one is of dark brick with pale trim, including window sills, coping, keystones, and cornice, and (in a 1953 photograph) a horizontal sign mounted at the front of the marquee. In 1954 an addition was built facing Washington Street, and the existing building was renovated with new show-windows, marquee, and entrances. As with many Kress stores along the U.S.-Mexican border, by the 1960s most of the merchandising signs were in both English and Spanish. McCrory Stores purchased the location in 1980." |
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 empty lot |
Search Terms |
downtown two-story brick pale trim sills coping keystone cornice marquee U.S.-Mexican border Spanish McCrory Stores Washington Street Store 623 Eagle Pass Texas 230 Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |