“Each Kress store was a gift of civic art”

Montgomery, AL – Source: flickr.com

The S. H. Kress Company was founded by Samuel H. Kress in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania in 1887. It was one of America’s five-and-dime retail chains that started in the last quarter of the 19th century only to fade from the landscape about a 100 years later. Despite the loss of chains such as Kress, there are many magnificent structures that remain for all of us to appreciate and admire. The S.H. Kress Companyin particular believed in the notion that

 “Each Kress store was a gift of civic art to its community.”

What set many of S. H. Kress stores apart from the crowd was the magnificent art deco architecture employed in the design and construction. They were not just retail stores, they were statements of pride, by the company and for the community. So superb was the architectural detail, that the National Building Museumin Washington, DC has an entire collection dedicated to S.H. Kress stores!

Nashville, TN – Source: louisvilleartdeco.com

It is often stated on webpages that only 50 of these architectural gems remain, many of which are rightfully placed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, I have compiled a list below of the remaining S.H. Kress stores and found many more than just 50 dotting the map. If you are aware of any I have missed or been unable to locate, please pass along the information. It would be very welcome.

Here’s is my list of 117 former S. H. Kress buildings that were found searching the internet, particularly through roadsidearchitecture.com and  wikipedia. The year of completion and current use (if known) is provided. An asterisk* means the building is on the National Register of Historic Places or is located within a National Register Historic District. Whenever available, a link to a photo is provided too. Enjoy viewing these “imKressive” structures, most of which continue to serve as an inspiring architectural focal point of each community where they are located.

1. Albuquerque, New Mexico* (1925)
2. Alexandria, Louisiana (1938)
3. Amarillo, Texas (1932) – retail
4. Americus, Georgia* (1911/1933)
5. Anniston, Alabama*
6. Ardmore, Oklahoma – furniture/appliance store
7. Asheville, North Carolina* (1927)
8. Atlanta, Georgia (1911)
9. Athens, Georgia* (1915)
10. Augusta, Georgia* (1940) – link added 7/27/18
11. Bakersfield, California (1932)
12. Bartlesville, Oklahoma (1909)
13. Baton Rouge, Louisiana* (1911) – residential
14. Berkeley, California (1933)
15. Billings, Montana (1925)
16. Birmingham, Alabama* (1937)
17. Blytheville, Arkansas* (1938)
18. Bristol, Tennessee (1922)
19. Brownsville, Texas
20. Brunswick, Georgia* (1909)
21. Chanute, Kansas
22. Columbia, Missouri* (1910)
23. Columbia, South Carolina* (1934) – mixed use
24. Columbus, Georgia* (1918) – facade saved after a fire in 1994
25. Corpus Christi, Texas (1917) – art space
26. Daytona Beach, Florida* (1932) – mixed use
27. Denton, Texas (1909) – antique store
28. Durham, North Carolina (1933) – mixed use
29. Eagle Pass, Texas
30. East Orange, New Jersey (1932)
31. Elizabethton, Tennessee (1929)
32. El Paso, Texas (1938)
33. Emporia, Kansas* (1929)
34. Enid, Oklahoma (1908) – conference center
35. Florence, South Carolina
36. Fort Myers, Florida
37. Fort Scott, Kansas* (ca. 1900)
38. Fort Smith, Arkansas (1930)
39. Fort Worth, Texas* (1936) – mixed use and lofts,
40. Fresno, California (1924)
41. Gadsden, Alabama
42. Galveston, Texas (1928) – lofts
43. Goldsboro, North Carolina (1909)
44. Greensboro, North Carolina* (1930) – mixed use – site of one of the civil rights lunch counter sit-in protests in 1960
45. Greenville, Texas (1938) – bistro
46. Guthrie, Oklahoma (1918)
47. Hattiesburg, Mississippi (ca. 1930s)
48. Hillsboro, Texas
49. Hilo, Hawaii (1932) – cinemas
50. Hot Springs, Arkansas (1915)
51. Houston, Texas* (1913) – lofts
    

    Houston, TX store –
    Source: waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1MTN_Kress_Building_Houston_Texas

52. Huntsville, Alabama* (1931)
53. Hutchinson, Kansas (1933)
54. Idaho Falls, Idaho* (1932)
55. Iola, Kansas
56. Jacksonville, Florida (1912)
57. Johnson City, Tennessee
58. Key West, Florida (1912) – eccentric department store
59. Knoxville, Tennessee (1925) – retail store
60. Lakeland, Florida (1929) – children’s museum
61. Laredo, Texas (ca.1920s)
62. Long Beach, California (1923)
63. Longview, Texas (1939)
64. Los Angeles, California
65. Los Angeles (Downtown)
66. Los Angeles (Hollywood), California (1934)
67. Los Angeles (Inglewood), California
68. Los Angeles (San Pedro), California (1939)
69. Lubbock, Texas* (1932) – Goodwill
70. Memphis, Tennessee – conference center,
71. Meridian, Mississippi*
72. Miami, Florida – hardly recognizable
73. Miami Beach. Florida (1941) – Starbucks and erotic art museum
74. Mobile, Alabama (1914)
75. Modesto, California
76. Montgomery, Alabama (1929)
77. Muskogee, Oklahoma
78. Natchez, Mississippi
79. New Bern, North Carolina (1908) – restaurant
80. New Orleans, Louisiana (1912) – Ritz-Carlton Hotel
81. New York City, New York
82. Nogales, Arizona* (ca. 1922)
83. Orlando, Florida (1936)
84. Pine Bluff, Arkansas – seen better days
85. Pomona, California
86. Ponca City, Oklahoma (ca. 1910s)
87. Port Arthur, Texas (1927)
88. Portland, Oregon* (1928)
89. Provo, Utah
90. Pueblo, Colorado (1929) – business and technology center
91. Riverside, California (1930)
92. Rocky Mount, North Carolina*
93. Rome, Georgia* (1928)
94. St. Petersburg, Florida* (1928)
95. Salina, Kansas
96. Salisbury, North Carolina (1910)
97. Sacramento, California (1932)
98. San Antonio, Texas (1939) – restaurant
99. Santa Rosa, California (1931)
100. Sarasota, Florida* (1932)
101. Savannah, Georgia
102. Seattle, Washington (1924) – IGA supermarket
103. Seattle (Ballard), Washington
104. Selma, Alabama (1930)
105. Shawnee, Oklahoma – office supply store
106. Spartanburg, South Carolina* (1929)
107. Stockton, California (1929)
108. Tampa, Florida* (1929)
109. Tampa (Ybor City), Florida – U.S. Customs office
110. Texarkana, Arkansas/Texas
111. Tyler, Texas
112. Waco, Texas (1910)
113. Waycross, Georgia
114. Wenatchee, Washington (1939) – mixed use
115. Wichita, Kansas* (1930)
116. Youngstown, Ohio* (1925)
117. Yuma, Arizona – restaurant and nightclub (closed)

Greensboro, NC – Source: flickr.com

What to learn more about Kress? Below is a visual link to a book about the stores on Amazon.