Photo Record

Images

1 of 1977

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Metadata

Title

Exterior view of Dart Dollar Store

Object Name

Print, Photographic

Collection

S.H. Kress & Company

Catalog Number

1989.13.1.4055a

Description

Print, photographic; color; exterior photo taken at street level; picture shows a view of looking head-on at a two-story masonry building; a full height display window split in two halves spans the ground floor; metal framed entry doors are deeply recessed into each half; entry corners consist of round plate glass; a large flush panel spans the facade above the roll-up awning; legend on panel "DART DOLLAR STORE"; five evenly spaced barrow sash windows mark the second floor; small terra cotta details are set in brickwork; a heavily dentillated cornice is set below parapet; inked notation on back "WEBB CITY MO.\JUNE 1973" Negative, film, cut film (4" x 5") color negative of photo taken from original print Copy print; color print (8" x 10") made from negative

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

Webb City, Missouri

Additional Notes

Genesco Store Number: 503 (later 713)
Address: 4 South Main Street
Facade Material: 1916-17 - Brick, limestone; 1973 - porcelain enamel
Style: Unknown
Primary Building Architect: Seymour Burrell
Contractors:

Date

6/1973

Photographer

Unknown

Orig/Copy

Original

Medium

Photographic paper

Object Category

8: Communication Artifact

Donor

Genesco Inc.

Notes on Related Objects

Related Units: 6 photographs, 33 plans, 3 inches of documents
Book Description: "This two-story brick and limestone building, erected 1916-17, was designed by Seymour Burrell. In 1973 porcelain enamel panels were placed over the lower façade as part of a conversion to a Dart Dollar store, an enterprise that lasted only one year."

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