Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Adjacent Wall |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.2749 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; sepia, exterior photo taken at elevated level; the picture shows a view looking at an angle at a fire-scared masonry wall; outlines of partitions show on the wall; inked notation on face of print (with arrows): "Projecting ledge of brick to be removed after\the new building is erected" and Approximate ceiling line of new one story building", "New building wall to be\put in with its face\flush with outside ledge"' "projection"; (along left) "REAR OF BUILDING" along right "FRONT OF BLDG"; typed notation on back "S. H. KRESS & COMPANY STORE\LA GRANGE GA.\View of side wall adjacent to burned building,\looking toward front\Photograph taken on March 26, 1931" |
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 |
La Grange, Georgia |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 119 Address: 137 Main Street Facade Material: 1913 - Unknown; 1962 - porcelain enamel Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
3/26/1931 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 60 photographs Book Description: "This store opened ca. 1913, in a two-story building with decorative vent grills, a heavy denticulated cornice, a parapet raised in the center, and mezzanine stip windows. During a 1962 renovation, its cornice was removed, the resulting void stuccoed, porcelain enamel panels placed over the mezzanine exterior, and a large illuminated Kress sign installed. The store closed 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 adjoining brick wall |
Search Terms |
two-story decorative vent grill denticulated cornice parapet stucco porcelain enamel panel illuminated sign Store 119 La Grange Georgia 137 Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |