Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Beauty Aisle |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.501 |
Description |
Print, Photographic, color snapshot; photo of store interior taken at ground level looking obliquely at a wall display of merchandise; picture shows an assortment of packaged party goods hanging on the wall; sign in Spanish "Articulos Pora Fiesta" hangs above merchandise; hand written notation on back of print "Nogales, Ariz.\June 1976", and "4-4" |
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 |
Nogales, Arizona |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 767 Address: 119 Morley Avenue Facade Material: Brick, limestone Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: E.J.T. Hoffman Contractors: |
Date |
Jun-76 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 136 photographs, 40 plans, 12 inches of documents Book Description: "With its stepped parapet, denticulated cornice, and double entrances, this brick and limestone building is a typical Kress store. Designed by E.J.T. Hoffman in 1922, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The company opened in Nogales, which, being one of the chief gateways into Mexico, was 'regarded very highly.' The store was enlarged in 1927 and again in 1954. As with many Kress stores near the Mexican border, the store used bilingual merchandise and directory signs. Purchased by McCrory Stores in 1980, it still operates under the Kress name." |
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 |
Color photograph of sales floor |
Search Terms |
brick limestone parapet denticulated cornice entrance double typical store Mexico Mexican border Spanish bilingual signs merchandise directory Store 767 McCrory Stores 119 Morley Avenue Morley Avenue International Street Nelson Street Nogales Arizona National Register of Historic Places S.H. Kress & Co Mercantile district mid-block attached rear door international remodel rehabilitation transom window photograph |