Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior photograph of Kress rooftop |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.5617 |
Description |
Print, photographic; exterior B&W photo taken at elevated level; picture shows a view looking down at an angle at a side wall of a masonry building; the top of the parapet is being demolished as is the building behind; skylight from a lower abutting building is in foreground; photographic inscription in lower right corner "BOONE\AUSTIN, TEX."; stamp on back "BOONE PHOTO CO.\EASTMAN DEALER\KODAK FINISHING\COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY\1000 CONGRESS AVE. AUSTIN TEX." and "RECEIVED\IN ARCH. DIV.\NOV 22 1937"; inked notation "S. H. KRESS & CO,\AUSTIN TEXAS\NOV. 17, 1937\N. SIDE OF N. KRESS WALL - LOOKING TOWARD REAR" |
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 |
Austin, Texas |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 603 Address: 808 Congress Avenue Facade Material: Polished granite, limestone Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: |
Date |
11/17/1937 |
Photographer |
Boone Photo |
Studio |
Boone Photo |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 79 photographs, 145 plans Book Description: "In 1909 Kress opened a store in Austin but that building was extensively damaged by a 1937 fire and subsequently demolished. Edward F. Sibbert designed the replacement, an attractive Art Deco building, to be constructed in two phases: first a three-story two-bay structure, finished in 1938, and then an additional bay, completed in 1940. The facade was clad with polished granite on the first story and limestone above, with fluted tympana to the second- and third-floor windows and incised sunbursts and geometric patterns above the third-floor windows. Varying the roofline were piers extended above the parapet. This 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 Kress rooftop angeld down |
Search Terms |
damage fire demolished Edward F. Sibbert replacement Art Deco three-story addition clad polished granite limestone fluted tympana sunburst geometric pattern parapet Store 603 Austin Texas 808 Congress Avenue S.H. Kress & Co photograph |