Photo Record
Metadata
Title |
Back Alley |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.1955 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W , exterior photo taken at ground level; picture shows a view looking diagonally across an alley at the back of a Kress store; the brick masonry structure comprises a one story and a story-and-a-half portion; barred windows are located near the top; the near portion of the building includes a narrow one story high extension; side-by-side doors, on metal and the other roll-up are near the corner; dark inset on lower right corner illegible except for ."7-24-38"; stamp on back "RECEIVED\IN ARCH. DIV.\AUG 1 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 |
Boulder, Colorado |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 380 Address: 1222 Pearl Street Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: 1925 - Unknown; 1938 - Edward F. Sibbert Contractors: N.G. Petry |
Date |
7/24/1938 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 12 photographs Book Description: "A store opened in Boulder in 1925; by 1936 it was located in this eclectic building at 1222 Pearl Street. In 1938 the building was slightly enlarged and renovated under staff architect Edward F. Sibbert. Kress converted this location to a Dart Bargain Store in 1965 and closed it three years later." |
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 |
eclectic building enlarged renovated Edward F. Sibbert Dart Bargain Store Store 380 Boulder Colorado 1222 Pearl Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |