Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Interior View of Accessories Sales Area |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.26c |
Description |
Black and white photographic print of interior view of a two-story high store taken at floor level. Back windows at ceiling level show at at left of picture. Ceiling-suspended lights are much simpler than those in 1935 photos. Rows of island counters parallel to side walls with merchandise visible (purses, handbags, hats). No photo caption. Includes two duplicate copies (1989.13.1.26a and 1989.13.1.26b). |
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 |
Anniston, Alabama |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 3 Address: 1106 Noble Street Facade Material: Polychrome terra cotta Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: A.K. Adams & Company |
Date |
1961 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 3 artifacts, 29 photographs Book Description: "The Anniston store was building ca. 1917 to replace an earlier property on this site in the business district. Prior to 1935, the building was given an Art Deco façade as part of an extensive remodeling by company architect Edward F. Sibbert. Exterior polychrome terracotta decorations include stylized floral motifs capping pilasters and a frieze of geometric shapes above the second-floor windows. The building remained a Kress store until 1980 and has since housed several retail businesses. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places." |
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 |
One of three black and white photographs depicting the interior accessories |
Search Terms |
Department store Interior merchandise purses handbags signage A.K. Adams & Company Edward F. Sibbert Art Deco remodel business district polychrome terracotta floral motif capping pilaster frieze geometric shape National Register of Historic Places Anniston Alabama 1106 Noble Street S.H. Kress & Co Store 3 photograph |