Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Building Damage |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.1435 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; B&W, exterior photo taken at roof level; the picture shows a view of a man in coveralls looking straight down at a square hole in the surface of the roof; a yard ruler has been placed along the opening to give scale; stamps on back: "S H. KRESS & CO\4415 S. CENTRAL AVE.\LOS ANGELES 11, CALIF", elaborate Keystone Photo stamp/logo; pencilled notations "Week end burglary\June 8-9 1946" and "46-1079-4" |
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 |
Los Angeles, California |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 833 Address: 4415 South Central Avenue Facade Material: Brick, cast-stone Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: E.J.T. Hoffman Contractors: |
Date |
6/1946 |
Photographer |
Keystone Photo Service |
Studio |
Keystone Photo Service |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 21 photographs, 11 plans, 5 inches of documents Book Description: "Built in 1927, the two-story building was designed by E.J.T. Hoffman. The façade, brick with cast-stone cornice, parapet, and trim, is almost identical to that of another Los Angeles Kress structure, the Adams Street store of 1928. The building suffered some fire and water damage during the 1965 Watts riots. 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 building damage |
Search Terms |
E.J.T. Hoffman E.J.T. Hoffmann two story brick cast-stone cornice parapet trim Adams Street fire water damage Watts Riot McCrory Stores 4415 South Central Avenue Store 833 Los Angeles California S.H. Kress & Co photograph |