Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Interior view of Kress sales floor |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.4115 |
Description |
Print, photographic; B&W; interior photo taken at elevated level; picture shows a view looking at a diagonal across the sales floor towards a front corner; slim round posts run the length of the floor; continuous strips of fluorescent lights are attached to the acoustic tile ceiling; merchandise is displayed on low open counters, shelves and racks; glass windows are seen both at right and at left; stamp on back "JOSEPH DI JANNI\PHOTOGRAPHER\137 GRAHAM TERRACE\SADDLE BROOK, N.J." |
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 |
Midland Park, New Jersey |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 235 Address: Godwin and Goffle Roads Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Carl E. Loven Contractors: |
Date |
c. mid 1960s |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 29 photographs, 35 plans Book Description: "This store opened in 1966 in the Midland Park Shopping Center, designed by Carl K. Loven, and three years later a large sewing and fabric department was added. McCrory Stores acquired the property in 1980." |
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. |
Search Terms |
Midland Park Shopping Center Carl K. Loven sewing fabric McCrory Stores Store 235 Midland Park New Jersey Godwin Road Goffle Road S.H. Kress & Co photograph |