Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of Kress display window |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.5992 |
Description |
Print, photographic; exterior B&W photo taken at street level; the picture shows a view looking almost head at one of the full height front store windows; little girl manequins are in window; interior shows strips of fluorescent lights are attached directly to the acoustic tile ceiling; heavy rectangular pillars run down the floor at left and right; merchandise is displayed on open waist high counters; photographic inscription in lower right corner "STORE : HOUSTON, MAIN ST. TEXAS PART 2\OWNER : S. H. KRESS & CO.\CONTRACTOR : FRANK MESSER & SONS INC.\DATE : 3-13-60"; stamps on back "Bob Bailey fine photography\29001-17\TAFT\(AT BUFFALO DR.) KE-6625\HOUSTON TEXAS" ; "RECEIVED\MAR 16 1960\BUILDING"; inked "See-Through Window\From Main Street" |
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 |
Houston, Texas |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 641 Address: 701 North Main Street Facade Material: 1913 - Terra cotta; 1952 - red granite, buff limestone addition Style: 1913 - Unknown; 1952 - International Style addition Primary Building Architect: 1913 - Seymour Burrell; 1952 - Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
3/13/1960 |
Photographer |
Bob Bailey |
Studio |
Bob Bailey |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 54 photographs, 100 plans, 33 inches of documents Book Description: "A Houston store opened in 1900. This 1913 building, designed by Seymour Burrell, shows the influence of Louis Sullivan in its terracotta cladding, heavy cornice, rusticated lower floors, and massed windows. Both facades of this corner structure are divided from ground level to cornice by piers, which are heavier on either side of the outer bays. Between piers at ground level are the usual show-windows, curving inward to form vestibules at the entries. Windows are set three across in each bay, starting at the mezzanine and continuing the full height of the piers. Cartouches and swags decorate a string-course below and the spandrels at the eighth floor. Kress occupied the basement, first, and second floors, with remaining space rented for offices. In 1952 a four-story International Style addition, clad in red granite and buff colored limestone, was built. The store closed in 1981, and the building was converted to an office building by Ray B. Bailey." |
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 display window |
Search Terms |
Seymour Burrell Louis Sullivan terracotta terra cotta cladding cornice rusticated pier bay pier vestibule mezzanine cartouches swag decorate spandrel International Style addition clad red granite buff limestone Ray B. Bailey Store 641 Houston Texas 701 North Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |