Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Back Alley |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.713 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W; photograph of construction site taken at ground level; picture shows an oblique view from the alley of the back of the store; construction is underway on the three story building that has rows of windows on the top two floors; wooden materials lift tower is located along the back wall; rubber stamp on back "ARCHITECTS\APR 6 1944\A" hand-printed notation "PROGRESS PHOTOGRAPH\LITTLE ROCK ARK 3-26-44 |
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 |
Little Rock, Arkansas |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 369 Address: 612 Main Street Facade Material: Plate-glass, brick, metal Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
26-Mar-44 |
Photographer |
Uknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 26 photographs Book Description: "The Kress company, on Main Street since 1901 and at this address from at least 1917, constructed a new store in 1944 to replace one destroyed by fire two years earlier. The one=story brick building had a plain plate-glass and metal storefront. In 1950 a second story, clad in matching brick and with a band of windows, was added to the building. The store went out of business in 1966." |
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 construction |
Search Terms |
Main Street replacement destroyed fire one-story brick plain plate-glass metal storefront clad addition Store 369 Little Rock Arkansas 612 Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |