Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.1610 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W, exterior snapshot taken at street level; the picture shows a diagonal view of the store seen from the back; high clearstory windows are set above the blank wall on the side street; the facade features six evenly spaced windows at second floor level flanked by strong vertical pilaster-like ribs which project above the parapet; decorative spandrels are set between and above the windows; two rows of barred windows pierce the back wall; KRESS sign is mounted above the roll-up awnings on the side-street store entries at the corners; inked notation on back: "S.H. KRESS & CO.\san Pedro, Cal.\12-3-38\Rear of Bldg. - with Sign installed\in Rear - see item #9 - Work Order #432", "(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 |
San Pedro, California |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 877 Address: 630 South Pacific Avenue Facade Material: Concrete Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: |
Date |
12/3/1938 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 55 photographs Book Description: "The first Kress store in San Pedro opened at 600 Pacific Avenue in 1924, beginning a period of rapid expansion of the chain in California. In 1938 a new streamlined Art Deco structure designed by Edward F. Sibbert was built on this corner site in the commercial district. Horizontal grooves in the concrete wrapped around the curved corners, while the central portion had windows and colored ornamental panels creating vertical accents, as did the porjections rising above the parapet. The sales area had hardwood floors, flame mahogany counters, marblewood trim, and geometric patterns in the plaster walls. The store went out of business 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 exterior |
Search Terms |
600 Pacific Avenue expansion streamline Art Deco Edward F. Sibbert commercial district corner horizontal groove concrete curved colored ornamental panel vertical accent projection parapet hardwood flame mahogany marblewood trim geometric pattern plaster San Pedo California 630 South Pacific Avenue Store 877 S.H. Kress & Co photograph |