Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Café |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Collection |
S.H. Kress & Company |
Catalog Number |
1989.13.1.1933 |
Description |
Print, Photographic; Color Polaroid, badly underexposed and poorly focused snapshot of cafeteria; |
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 |
Stockton, California |
Additional Notes |
Genesco Store Number: 887 Address: 409 East Main Street Facade Material: Terra cotta, brick Style: Art Deco Primary Building Architect: Likely John G. Fleming Contractors: |
Date |
c. 1980 |
Photographer |
Unknown |
Orig/Copy |
Original Print |
Medium |
Photographic paper |
Object Category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Donor |
Genesco Inc. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Related Units: 110 photographs, 9 plans, 7.5 inches of documents Book Description: "Built in the commercial district of Stockton in 1930, this three-story Art Deco building was probably designed by architect John G. Fleming, who was active in Kress West Coast design work between 1929 and 1931. The store had almost identical brick and terracotta facades on Main and Sutter streets. The logo, typical of early 1930s decoration, was in gilded letters just below the terracotta-clad parapet. McCrory Stores took over 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 |
Color photograph of café |
Search Terms |
John G. Fleming three story commercial district Art Deco identical brick terracotta terra cotta Main Street Stutter Street logo gilded clad parapet McCrory Stores Store 887 Stockton California 409 East Main Street S.H. Kress & Co photograph |