Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Aisle |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.880 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W; photo of store interior taken at slightly elevated level; picture shows a view of the merchandise area looking straight down an aisle towards the front; long fluorescent light strips run the length of the space and hang from the high ceiling; a row of slim support pillars runs down the middle of the store; knee height open merchandise counters backed by higher shelves parallel the aisle; stamp on back reads "Berkeley Commercial Photo Co.\2311 TELEGRAPH AVE.\BERKELEY 4, CALIFORNIA\THornwall 5-5268\For additional copies of this print\refer to No. 9510-D; hand inked notation "Berkeley, Calif\February 25, 1965" |
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 |
Berkeley, California |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 807 Address: 2036 Shattuck Avenue Facade Material: Unknown Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: |
Date |
25-Feb-65 |
Photographer |
Berkeley Commercial Photo Co. |
Studio |
Berkeley Commercial Photo Co. |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 80 photographs, 28 plans, and 8 inches of documents Book Description: "In 1932 Edward F. Sibbert began this store's design, drafting several different facades and floor plans. The Art Deco exterior decorations includes floral motifs forming capitals above vertical columns of windows and zigzag patterns across the building's cap. The building, owned by McCrory Stores, currently operates as a J.J. Newberry variety store." |
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 sales floor |
Search Terms |
Edward F. Sibbert brick terra cotta terracotta metal marquise art deco mercantile area attached corner location steel frame reinforced concrete walls facing Store 807 Berkeley California 2036 Shattuck Avenue Shattuck Avenue S.H. Kress & Co façade exterior decoration floral motif capitals vertical columns windows zigzag patterns building cap McCrory Stores owned purchased operates J.J. Newberry variety store photograph |