Kress Stores
S. H. Kress & Co. was a group of "five and dime" department stores in the United States between 1896 to 1981. The business was started in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, by Samuel H. Kress in 1896. Kress Stores were common in many cities and towns of the United States. In 1964, S. H. Kress & Co. was bought by Genesco, Inc. Genesco began closing down the stores in 1980.
The Kress chain was known for the architecture of the stores. A number of former Kress stores, now used for other things, are said to be landmarks. Some of the most well-known Kress locations included New York City's Fifth Avenue, Canal Street, New Orleans, and one at Hollywood's Hollywood Boulevard. The one at Hollywood Boulevard is now preserved at a theme park in Florida.
Kress Stores Media
The Kress building in Houston, Texas, 2020
Kress store building in Lubbock, Texas showing the characteristic design
A Kress building in Tampa, Florida
Kress building in El Paso, Texas
Kress inset on the site of the former Kress store in Berkeley, California
Newly renovated Fort Worth, Texas, Kress building
Kress Building in Lubbock, Texas, which is now a goodwill store
Kress building in Charleston, South Carolina, along the main commercial street
Former S.H. Kress store in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.
Kress Building in Santa Rosa CA
Other websites
- Main Street Five-and-Dime: The Architectural Heritage of S. H. Kress & Co. Archived 2006-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
- The Kress Building in Fort Worth, Texas Archived 2006-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
- Remembering the House of Kress Archived 2006-04-26 at the Wayback Machine