Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior photograph of Kress rooftop |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.6579 |
Description |
Print, photographic; exterior B&W photo taken at roof level; picture shows a view looking staright across the surface of a flat gravelled roof; photographic inscription across bottom "S.H. KRESS & CO. Aberdeen, Washington August 6, 1962; stamps on back "PHOTO BY\JONES PHOTO CO.\ABERDEEN WASH.\No 41882'; "RECEIVED\AUG 22 1962"; pencilled "(#6)" |
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 |
Aberdeen, Washington |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 941 Address: 100 West Wishkah Street Facade Material: 1927 - Pale brick, terra cotta; 1962 - porcelain enamel Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: 1927 - Probably E.J.T. Hoffman; 1962 - Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
8/6/1962 |
Photographer |
Jones Photo Co. |
Studio |
Jones Photo Co. |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 80 photographs Book Description: "Opened in 1927 at the corner of Wishkah Street and Broadway, this building is probably by E.J.T. Hoffman, then very active on the Kress staff. The Wishkah Street façade, pale brick with terracotta trim, had corner and central entrances. Inside, the main sales area had a high ceiling clad with patterned sheet metal. Part of the building was leased to other businesses until 1953, when renovationed converted all of the building to Kress use. A 1962 fire severly damaged the structure, and, during repair work, new show-windows and entrances were installed, the second-floor windows removed, porcelain enamel panels placed over the mezzanine exterior, the parapet and projecting trim removed, and the surface bricked. Kress closed the store 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. |
Caption |
Black and white photograph of Kress rooftop |
Search Terms |
Broadway Street E.J.T. Hoffman brick terracotta terra cotta trim clad sheet metal lease renovation fire damage repair porcelain enamel panel mezzanine parapet Store 941 Aberdeen Washington 100 West Wishkah Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |