Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of Kress construction site |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.5468 |
Description |
Print, photographic; exterior B&W photo taken at elevated level; the picture shows a view looking diagonally at a building under construction; the steel framework has reached three stories above a very high ground floor; masonry brickwork covers side and back of ground and second floors; photographic inscription in lower right corner "S. H. Kress Bldg. Rear View\Hanson-Worden Const. Co.\Jan-3-1926---Goodman Photo"; inked "Memphis, Tenn." Note date is probably typo for 1927 |
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 |
Memphis, Tennessee |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 329 Address: 9 North Main Street Facade Material: Terra cotta Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: 1927 - E.J.T. Hoffman; 1963 - James B. Bell and Associates Contractors: |
Date |
1/3/1927 |
Photographer |
Goodman |
Studio |
Goodman |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 100 photographs, 25 plans, 12.5 inches of documents Book Description: "A direct descendant of the first store, this 1927 building is one of the liveliest and most elaborately embellished early structures. The four-story building, designed by Kress architect E.J.T. Hoffman, has a tripartite façade divided by piers; at street level each bay contains show-windows and double doors, while the upper stories have large windows and elaborate terracotta detailing that includes cornucopia, cartouches, festoons, and floral ornament. The heads of bald eagles project at the parapet base, while lions' heads emerge from the piers just below the horizontal company sign. Interior renovations are recorded for 1963 under James B. Bell and Associates, and by 1968 photographs show only one entrance (the center one) remaining. 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. |
Caption |
Black and white photograph of Kress construction site with walls being buil |
Search Terms |
elaborate embellished four-story E.J.T. Hoffman tripartite pier terracotta terra cotta cornucopia cartouches festoon floral ornament bald eagle parapet base lion head renovation James B. Bell and Associates McCrory Stores relocation Store 329 Memphis Tennessee 9 North Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |