Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Café Construction |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.2128 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W , interior deckle-edged snapshot taken at floor level; the picture shows a view looking down at the footrest in front of the luncheonette counter; inked notation in bottom margin "S& L. Rehabilitation Pueblo Colo\Pouring of new conc. step 8-19-50"; pencilled "(4)" on back; sign-off initials |
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 |
Pueblo, Colorado |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 391 Address: 301 North Main Street Facade Material: Terra cotta, brick Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: George E. MacKay Contractors: |
Date |
8/19/1950 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 61 photographs Book Description: "Kress opened a store in Pueblo in 1914 in the Masonic building on North Main Street. In 1930 an Art Deco building by George E. MacKay was constructed at 301 North Main Street. This store has a fortresslike brick and terracotta façade with polychrome terracotta frieze, spandrels, foliate capitals, and other trim in primarily geometric patterns. A vertical sign projects at the corner and a horizontal sign spans the front. Kress coats of arms flank the corporate logo just below the parapet. The store closed in 1979; the renovated building renamed the Pueblo Business and Technology Center, now houses the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation, which helps small businesses get started." |
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 café construction |
Search Terms |
Masonic building Art Deco George E. MacKay fortress brick terracotta terra cotta polychrome terracotta frieze spandrels foliate capitals trim geometric pattern sign corner horizontal coat of arms corporate logo parapet renamed Pueblo Business and Technology Center Pueblo Economic Development Corporation Store 391 Pueblo Colorado 301 North Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |