Photo Record
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of Kress construction site |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.5696b |
Description |
Print, photographic; exterior B&W photo taken at elevated level; picture shows view looking at down at an angle at a construction site excavation from across the back alley; a crew is at work digging holes for footings; a three or four story building abuts the site at left; a horse drawn wagon sits in pit; a pile of bricks is in immediate foreground; photographic inscription at lower left "Kress Bldg, Brownsville, Texas\April-16-1928"; inked in lower right margin "Kress Building - Brownsville, Texas\April-16-28 R.E.McKee Contractor"; stamp on back "ADDITIONAL PRINTS OF THIS PHOTO\MAY BE HAD AT ______EACH COPY\For Service Try Us\HOLMES STUDIO - Brownsville, Tex." Negative, film; roll film B&W negative (2 1/4" x 2 1/4") of photo from original print |
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 |
Brownsville, Texas |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 607 Address: 1031 East Elizabeth Street Facade Material: 1928 - Pale terra cotta, brick; 1959 - brick, porcelain enamel Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: 1928 - E.J.T. Hoffman; 1959 - Gerald Anthony Paul Contractors: |
Date |
4/16/2028 |
Photographer |
Holmes Studio |
Studio |
Holmes Studio |
Orig/Copy |
Copy, Negative |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 112 photographs, 29 plans, 10 inches of documents Book Description: "The Brownsville Kress, designed by E.J.T. Hoffman, was built in 1928 next door to an F.W. Woolworth store. The façade's spare classical details and pale terracotta and brick are characteristic of Hoffman's work. The primary ornamentation consists of rosettes between the second- and third-floor windows and lions' heads below the denticulated cornice, all in terracotta. A 1959 addition designed by architect Gerald Anthony Paul was built on the lot previously occupied by Woolworth. Brick imitating vitrified shale covered the front of the addition and part of the existing building, and porcelain enamel panels were installed over the rest of the facade. McCrory Stores purchased the location 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. |
Search Terms |
E.J.T. Hoffman F.W. Woolworth classical pale terracotta terra cotta brick ornamentation rosettes lion head denticulated cornice addition Gerald Anthony Paul Woolworth vitrified shale porcelain enamel panel McCrory Stores Store 607 Brownsville Texas 1031 East Elizabeth Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |