By Jacqueline Hernandez
S . H. Kress & Company, operating from 1896 to 1981, was one of the 20th century’s most prosperous variety-store retailers with over 200 retail establishments in the United States. Founded by Samuel Henry Kress, the company created a chain of five-and-dime stores that offered a diverse range of domestic goods at affordable prices that attracted shoppers en masse. The stores were not only welcomed on Main Streets of yore for their quality products, but they were also known for their exceptional architectural styles, beauty, and longevity.
Image caption: Kress Artwork (Courtesy of Flickr Wikimedia Commons)
Though never the largest chain, Kress maintained, beginning in 1927, the highest per-store sales of any five-and-dime retailer. Attracting customers and increasing sales were boosted by establishing an architectural division within the company. The Kress Company grew and built more elaborate stores than its predecessors, while its competitors cut costs and reused outdated designs during the Great Depression. Five-and-dime stores popped up in small towns all over America, and the buildings were described as “emporiums,” exuding an elegant, New Yorkesque atmosphere. Many wonder what motivated these design choices, particularly during an economic recession. Thus, Kress’ legacy of small-town civic pride went beyond retail and became more than a brand.
Kress, a descendant of German and Irish immigrants, was born in Pennsylvania in 1863. As the retail revolution of the late 1800s began, he too jumped into the business, establishing his first store in 1887. This stationery and notion store in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, predated his chain of five-and-dime stores but provided him with the experience to expand. The article “Samuel H. Kress and Rush H. Kress,” by Noah Houghton, explains that in 1896, Kress officially opened his first S. H. Kress five-and-dime store in Memphis, Tennessee, becoming well-known for selling affordable, durable, and cheerful domestic merchandise.
Between the beginning of the Depression and World War II, Kress stores, designed by Edward F. Sibbert, a Brooklyn and Miami architect chiefly in the Art Deco style, were the most distinctive in the chain. In “S.H. Kress Building, 100 Mills Avenue,” Kathy Pepper and George Torok write that people commonly escaped the dreariness of the Depression by visiting dime stores and movie houses, and Samuel Kress took advantage of this to construct his stores. Despite the Great Depression, “Samuel Kress fully realized that the depression would not last forever, and more than any of his competition took advantage of the meager cost of labor and construction materials,” says Edgar Kerby, former head of Kress’ building division. Kress took advantage of it and built his unique store designs with cheap labor and materials. By the time Kress died in 1955, his chain had grown to 200 stores in small towns across the country, all with ornate storefronts. The stores had expanded to include lunch counters, popular features of the time.
The Charleston Preservation Society reports that on April 1, 1960, historically, in Charleston, South Carolina, 24 students from the all African-American Burke High School quietly marched into the Kress Building on King Street and sat down at the lunch counter. Inspired by the student led Greensboro, N.C. sit-in on February 1 of that year, the Burke High School students met regularly at Emanuel A.M.E Church for months before the Kress sit-in to plan and train for the non-violent demonstration. Upon seating themselves at the lunch counter, the students were immediately refused service and asked to leave, but they peacefully resisted. In response, the manager removed the seats from empty stools, and a waitress poured ammonia on the lunch counter. When these efforts failed to deter the students, management falsely claimed that there was a bomb in the building, yet the students still refused to leave. After five hours of peaceful protest, the 24 demonstrators were arrested on trespassing charges when they refused to heed the Charleston police’s order to vacate the building. While the South Carolina Supreme Court ultimately decided not to pursue charges, the impact of the Kress Building sit-in significantly impacted the future of civil rights activism in Charleston.
In 1964, Genesco, a publicly-owned specialty footwear and accessories retailer, bought the Kress Company and immediately began abandoning its leading street stores and moving operations into shopping malls. As with many retailers of the time, Genesco quickly discovered that shopping malls were not the answer, so by 1980, Kress stores were liquidated and stores closed.
Image caption: Samuel Henry Kress (Courtesy of Alman & Company)
From 1938 until the early 1980s, the El Paso Kress Building was a full-service, multistory department store. Since then, sadly, many Kress structures have been renovated by new owners into retail, residential, and office space.
Numerous Kress buildings, including El Paso’s, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The El Paso History Alliance explains that the Kress Department Store opened in El Paso in 1907 at 211 Mesa, the store’s original address. During the mid1900s, two fires damaged the store, causing it to be rebuilt twice. Then, in 1937, it moved to its current location on the corner of Mills and Oregon. In response to the request of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Department, Sibbert designed the building with regional architecture in mind. The design embodies Spanish influences with Moorish elements, a favorite of Sibbert’s, say Pepper and Torok. Spanish architecture contains uniformity, minimal embellishments, and smooth stucco, adobe, or stone exteriors. In contrast, Moorish architecture is a type of Islamic architecture discernible for its intricately carved wood, repeating patterns, and complex tilework.
In the Southwest, Native American architecture depicts plant stalks that resemble primitive masks and Mayan and Indian motifs carved into iron. Mexican tiles frame the doors at Oregon Street’s entrance, and red clay tiles along the street elevations create an impression of Spanish architecture along the rooflines. The El Paso store’s belltower represents various cultures, including Anglo, Indian, Spanish, and Mexican cultures. Kress’ onetime musical tower was a rarity in building history. Pepper and Torok point out that the El Paso Kress was the only store with three entrances and exits. Sibbert designed the L-shaped structure as part of a group of distinctive Art Deco buildings.
The Art Deco style has several characteristics, including sleek, linear architecture adorned with stylized ornamentation that is typically geometric. As Architectural Tile + Stone explains, in Art Deco architecture, setbacks create stepped outlines on a building’s facade. The use of low-relief decorative panels is showcased in entrances, around windows, along the roof edges, and as string courses. Stucco, concrete block, glazed brick, and mosaic tile are all common building materials used in Art Deco architecture. Depending on the purpose of the building or the architect’s whims, various artistic or exotic motifs are incorporated into the decorative details. Geometrical motifs, such as chevrons and zigzags, are a common decorative element in Art Deco.
Art in Context further explains that in Art Deco architecture, modern design combines traditional elements, including exquisite craftsmanship and luxurious materials, such as ivory, jade, and lacquer. Art Deco, which followed the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements, absorbed abstract and geometric forms from Cubism, bright colors from Fauvism, and exotic crafts from China, Japan, and Egypt. Through symmetry, straight lines, hierarchy in floor plan distribution, and facades divided into the base, the decorative aspect and the compositional arrangements also reflect Beaux-Arts architecture, the academic architectural style taught at the École des BeauxArts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century, with more logical volumes and ornamentation.
The post-war bourgeoisie embraced a great mix of Art Deco styles. However, as the 20th Century progressed, the class began identifying more closely with industrial manufacturing. A more somber and moderate form of Art Deco developed during this period, incorporating concrete and stainless-steel materials. The most iconic works of the style, such as the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building, all in New York, exuded a new language to skyscrapers that changed the city’s skyline, reflecting a contemporarily modern and technological society. Several striking style characteristics are evident in these buildings, contributing to their consolidation in architectural history. Several typify this style, writes Jonathan Rinck in “European Art in the Columbia Museum of Art, Including the Samuel H. Kress Collection,” such as reinforced concrete, straight lines, clean rectangles, terraced buildings, and sharp angles. In American Art Deco, writer Carla Breeze remarks that El Paso Kress Building’s “pale beige terracotta and Spanish-inspired decorative elements make it incredibly distinctive.” Another of Kress’ architectural distinctions was his ability to define a brand identity while fitting into the local five-and-dime market and main street character.
Image caption: Kress Store (Courtesy of Fred Morales Archives)
Kress pioneered the concept of brand identity by developing signature storefronts for companies. A significant component of his approach was to view each store as a museum, with some parts standardized based on the assembly-line method popular at the time and others customized according to local customs. Large public doors, extensive use of glass, display windows, and signage at the entrance are typical storefront designs. A storefront’s structure strongly influences its ability to advertise to pedestrians and drivers, regardless of the era.
In “You’ve Noticed Those Kress Buildings, Right?” Gaye Swan states that as part of its continuous effort to draw attention to its ever-changing displays and constant excitement, Kress even launched a campaign entitled “Watch Kress Windows.” These carefully designed and streamlined early department stores facilitated easy customer shopping, enabling mobility throughout the entire store. The Kress architects developed the term “display fixtures” to describe displays that ran across a store’s back and were of a consistent height, not exceeding chest height. The purpose was to allow customers to view all the merchandise in the store and find what they are looking for quickly and easily. These fixtures facilitate easy shopping and encourage customers to move horizontally through the store as they explore other products.
Kress stores established their brand in a metallic gold handwritten font against a green background. As per the convention of five-and-dime stores, two initials preceded the founder’s name on each sign, as in “S.H. Kress & Co. 5 & 10 Cent Store.” The consistency in signage helped customers quickly identify the type of store. Window displays became an essential feature for attracting potential buyers. Various goods were displayed in dramatic or exciting artistic settings within these windows and included price tags to convey affordability for customers.
As Samuel Kress built his chain, he focused on grand architecture and elegant decor for his stores, which competed with Woolworth’s and other dime stores. He hired staff architects to distinguish his stores, envisioning cityscape works of art, while competitors designed sturdy cement facades incorporating terracotta and Art Deco elements. Distinctive architecture and efficient design characterize Kress stores. Despite their unique styles, which range from elaborate Gothic revivals to streamlined Art Deco, the stores served as integral parts of the business districts that helped shape the Main Streets of America.
What remained of the Kress empire was sold to McCrory stores on January 1, 1981. Most of these stores continued to operate under the Kress name until McCrory stores met the same fate, closing in 2001. Surviving Kress buildings nationwide have since been converted into residences, restaurants, theaters, and nightclubs. As a result of their ornate facades, including terrazzo floors, polished marble structures, and intricately carved wood interiors, the Kress name is emblazoned across the top-heavy bronze doors. People recognize the stores’ significance and preserve these buildings, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since then, adds Swan.
The Corporate Philanthropy Report, “Kress Foundation Art Conservation Grants,” states that building records from the company are kept at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. There are 6,000 architectural plans and 7,000 photographs on display. The collection contains information about 221 Kress stores across 28 states, including their design, construction, and operation. Tiendas Kress, a Puerto Rican subsidiary chain, remains open despite liquidations in the 1980s.
The Kress Foundation was founded in 1929 by Samuel Kress himself to gather and distribute a collection of Old Master paintings and other European artworks. The Foundation offers grants and fellowships to art historians, conservators, curators, and librarians to advance the study and preservation of European art and architecture.
Kress imagined his stores as public works of art, and the Kress Building in El Paso holds to that vision. At its core, architecture provides a physical environment for people to inhabit, but it is much more than that. Architecture is also a part of cultural heritage. The El Paso downtown districts have been made more beautiful through Kress’ legacy in terms of shopping along Main Street USA and the architectural details.
Over the past century, as five-and-dime stores have disappeared, the Kress name continues to loom large over the heart of downtown El Paso and the heart of downtown Americana. In fact, ABC-7, in April 2022, among other news outlets, reports that the El Paso City Council announced a private-public partnership with billionaire Paul Foster to revitalize the historic Kress Building in downtown El Paso. Foster, the owner of Franklin Mountain Investments, plans to revitalize the Kress Building to the same status it had in its heyday. Foster is to invest $18.4 million, and the city will, in turn, provide over $2 million in incentives. Foster says his participation in the revitalization of the Plaza Theatre made him realize how important it is to preserve the historic buildings downtown. He restored the famous Plaza Hotel and now looks toward the Kress Building. ABC-7 reports that “the first step will be an underground tunnel that will connect the basements of the Plaza Hotel and Kress Building. Foster’s goal is to add interest to the downtown area by increasing pedestrian flow. He says there will be a spa and full-service salon in the basement. The ground floor will have a food hall and a soda fountain. The top floor will be an entertainment venue for younger adults.”
With continued interest in downtown and its revitalization, El Paso can compete with big cities across the country. To do so, the preservation of the past is the key to the future. While the Kress Building will no longer be a five-and-dime store, Samuel H. Kress’ vision and Edward F. Sibbert’s Art Deco design will find renewed birth for generations to come.
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