Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Back alley view of buildings near Kress store |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.2906 |
Description |
Print, photographic; B&W; exterior photo taken at street level; picture shows a back alley view of a pair of decrepit looking abutting single story buildings; the masonry is extensively stained; an open corrugated metal shed on the roof at left backs up on the higher building next door; inked notation in lower right bottom "Valdosta Store\S H Kress & Co\Edward F. Sibbert Arch.\The J. N. Bray Company Gen Contr. 6/3/38"; tiny photographic logo in left corner "Ricks\6\3\38"; stamp on back "RECEIVED\IN ARCH. DIV\JUN 11 1938" |
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 |
Valdosta, Georgia |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 127 Address: 105 North Patterson Street Facade Material: 1913 - Brick, stone, galvanized iron; 1957 - porcelain enamel Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: 1913 - Seymour Burrell; 1957 - J.N. Pease and Company Contractors: |
Date |
6/3/1938 |
Photographer |
Ricks |
Studio |
Ricks |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 73 photographs, 103 plans, 10 inches of documents Book Description: "This store opened in 1913 in a new building designed for the property owner by staff architect Seymour Burrell. The building, like many Kress stores of that period, was brick with stone trim and galvanized iron cornice and parapet sign. The second- and third-story windows were framed by pilasters supporting semicircular arches. In 1938 demolition of an adjoining building made room for an addition, with brick and trim matching the original store but with wider proportions. As part of a second expansion in 1957, with J.N. Pease and Company as the architect, the parapet, cornice, and projecting masonry were removed. Following partial demolition and rebuilding of a neighboring structure, porcelain enamel panels covered the facade of the two buildings. The store closed in 1974." |
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 |
Seymour Burrell brick stone trim galvanized iron cornice parapet pilaster framed semicircular arches demolition J.N. Pease and Company projecting masonry porcelain enamel panel Store 127 Valdosta Georgia 105 North Patterson Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |