Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Exterior view of Ben Franklin hanging sign |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.3119 |
Description |
Print, photographic; color; exterior snapshot taken at street level; picture shows a view looking at an oblique at the front of a store; show windows span part of the width of the ground floor on the main street; wide marquee overhangs sidewalk; small sign hangs from overhead "BEN FRANKLIN"; pencilled notation on back "KAIMUKI\KOKO HEAD ROAD\ENTRANCE" and in black marker "RE SHEET #2\B" |
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 (Kaimuki), Hawaii |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 968 Address: 3632 Waialae Avenue Facade Material: Unknown Style: Unknown Primary Building Architect: Unknown Contractors: |
Date |
c. 1970s |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 14 photographs, 15 plans Book Description: "Only minor changes are recorded for this suburban-Honolulu location, opened in 1967 in a two-story building formerly occupied by a Ben Franklin variety store. The operation closed 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. |
Search Terms |
changes suburban Honolulu two-story Ben Franklin variety store Store 968 Kaimuki Hawaii 3632 Waialae Avenue S.H. Kress & Co photograph |