Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Café Menu |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.2692 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W, interior photo taken at slightly elevated level; picture shows a view looking head-on at the food preparation counter of the luncheonette; a peninsula counters with serving area within juts out from the wall; the food preparation area is set along the wall separated from the eating counter by a service aisle; the wall behind the food preparation counter is extensively mirrored; a mushroom shaped milk glass light fixtures hangs from the high ceiling; hand-written photographic notation in lower right hand corner "STORE AUGUSTA GA\OWNER S H KRESS CO\ARCHITECT EDWARD S SIBBERT\CONTRACTOR WHEATLEY MOBLEY\DATE-10-27-40"; stamp on back "RECEIVED\IN ARCH. DIV.\NOV 13 1940" |
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 |
Augusta, Georgia |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 113 Address: 832 Broad Street Facade Material: Terra cotta, pale brick Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: Wheatly & Mobley |
Date |
10/27/1940 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 48 photographs Book Description: "The Kress store opened in Augusta ca. 1898 in an existing brick building, but the site is not shown in the records. In 1940 a streamlined Art Deco building designed by Edward F. Sibbert was constructed here, with entrances on Broad and Ellis streets. The facade was terracotta and pale brick, with horizontal striations at the top and center and a vertical Kress sign projecting from between sets of strip windows. This was a Class A store, with interior decor that included fine wood wainscoting and trim, mirrored columns, and elaborate moldings. Renovated in 1965, the store closed fifteen 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 café menu |
Search Terms |
brick streamlined Art Deco Edward F. Sibbert Ellis Street terracotta terra cotta pale striation Class A fine wood wainscoting trim mirror column elaborate molding Store 113 Augusta Georgia 832 Broad Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |