Photo Record

Images

1 of 1977

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Metadata

Title

Alley

Object Name

Print, Photographic

Collection

S.H. Kress & Company

Catalog Number

1989.13.1.2753a

Description

Print, Photographic; B&W, exterior snapshot taken at street level; the picture shows a view of the front corner of a building; inked notation on back "La Grange, Ga."; pencilled "1954"

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

La Grange, Georgia

Additional Notes

Genesco Store Number: 119
Address: 137 Main Street
Facade Material: 1913 - Unknown; 1962 - porcelain enamel
Style: Unknown
Primary Building Architect: Unknown
Contractors:

Date

1954

Photographer

Unknown

Orig/Copy

Original Print

Medium

Photographic paper

Object Category

8: Communication Artifact

Donor

Genesco Inc.

Notes on Related Objects

Related Units: 60 photographs
Book Description: "This store opened ca. 1913, in a two-story building with decorative vent grills, a heavy denticulated cornice, a parapet raised in the center, and mezzanine stip windows. During a 1962 renovation, its cornice was removed, the resulting void stuccoed, porcelain enamel panels placed over the mezzanine exterior, and a large illuminated Kress sign installed. The store closed 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.

Caption