Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Building Sign |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.771 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W; snapshot of the facade of a store; picture shows view looking up diagonally towards to top from the sidewalk in front; vertical lighted sign perpendicular to facade reads "KRESS"; sign above roll-up awning across full width of store "S. H. KRESS & CO 5-10-25 CENT STORE"; typed notation on back "Alhambra, Calif."; stamp "504" |
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 |
Alhambra, California |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 801 Address: 11 East Main Street Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: |
Date |
1936 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 56 photographs Book Description: "The company leased space from 1923 to 1960 in Alhambra's Van Amberg Building, located on a streetcar line in the commercial section. The two double entrances, each between inward-curving show-windows, and mezzanine strip windows beneath a horizontal sign were typical Kress facade elements. In 1937 the entrances, show-windows, and the interior were renovated by Edward F. Sibbert. The store closed in 1960, as did several other Kress stores in the Los Angeles area." |
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 |
lease Van Amberg Building streetcar line commercial section double entrance inward-curving horizontal sign renovated Edward F. Sibbert Store 801 Alhambra California 11 East Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |