Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Sales Floor |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.1957 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W , interior photo taken at floor level; picture shows a view looking along the full length of the store straight down a side aisle; row of high windows can be made out in distance; art-deco style light fixture hang from the high ceiling; waist high island merchandise counters run along the aisle; a cash register is seen on counter along wall at left; photographic inscription on lower right corner "Store BOULDER COLO\Owner S. H. Kress & Co.\Arch.... Edward F. Sibbert\Contractor N.C Petry\Date 7-24-38; stamp on back "RECEIVED\IN ARCH. DIV.\AUG 1 1938" |
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 |
Boulder, Colorado |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 380 Address: 1222 Pearl Street Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: 1925 - Unknown; 1938 - Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: N.G. Petry |
Date |
7/24/1938 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 12 photographs Book Description: "A store opened in Boulder in 1925; by 1936 it was located in this eclectic building at 1222 Pearl Street. In 1938 the building was slightly enlarged and renovated under staff architect Edward F. Sibbert. Kress converted this location to a Dart Bargain Store in 1965 and closed it three years later." |
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 sales floor |
Search Terms |
eclectic building enlarged renovated Edward F. Sibbert Dart Bargain Store Store 380 Boulder Colorado 1222 Pearl Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |