Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Stocked Shelves |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.1201 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; Color; snapshot of store interior taken at floor level; the picture shows a view of a store located in an enclosed shopping mall; hi-fi components, loudspeakers and small TV sets are displayed on shelves viewed at an oblique; photo is out of focus; hand written notation on back "#812 Daly City 1978" |
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 |
Daly City, California |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 812 Address: 127 Serramonte Center Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
1978 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 64 photographs Book Description: "Kress leased space for a large discount store in this suburban shopping mall in 1968. This store, its plain interior lit by overhead fluorescent fixtures, was typical of other Kress stores opened in suburban malls and shopping centers in the 1960s and 1970s. The location closed in March of 1981." |
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 |
Color photograph of stocked shelves |
Search Terms |
lease discount store suburban shopping mall plain overhead fluorescent fixtures Store 812 Daly City California S.H. Kress & Co 127 Serramonte Center photograph |