Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior rear view of Kress store |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.3133 |
Description |
Print, photographic; B&W; exterior photo taken at ground level; picture shows a view looking at a blank wall of a shopping mall; textured light brick is topped by a wide horizontally groved metal strip; wall at extreme left is faced with irregular dark stones; large signboard on right side of strip "(logo) KRESS\VARIETY FAIR (logo)""; stamps on back "S. H. KRESS AND COMPANY #968\3622 WAIALAE AVENUE\HONOLULU, HAWAII 96816" and "Benny's Studio\73 So, Pauachi St.\Honolulu, Hawaii" |
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 |
Honolulu, Hawaii |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 969 Address: Moanalua Shopping Center Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
c. 1970s |
Photographer |
Benny's Studio |
Studio |
Benny's Studio |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 8 photographs, 1 plan Book Description: "Kress took over the leases to five Ben Franklin variety store sites, including this one in the Moanalua Shopping Center. Minor changes were made to convert the space to a Kress store, and a Dart Fabric store was added in 1971. This location, the next-to-last Kress store operated by Genesco, closed on March 21, 1981." |
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 |
Ben Franklin variety store Moanalua Shopping Center convert Dart Fabric Genesco Store 969 Honolulu Hawaii S.H. Kress & Co photograph |