41 replies to this topic

[monsoon]

[DruidCity]

Kress in South Carolina : http://www.sandlapper.org/kress.htm

http://www.nbm.org/blueprints/90s/summer90...ts/contents.htm

"Eventually Kress had over 300 stores in thirty states in the southern half of the United States."

Kress was before my time, but my mother remembers the store in Tuscaloosa very well. She said she thinks it closed sometime in the 1950s.
As in many cities, a Woolworth store was located on the next block.
The Woolworth here didn't close until just a few years ago - I hated to see it go.

[cityboi]

I find it facinating that many cities have preservered these old buildings. Each one is so distinct and the facades on these buildings are architecurally intreging. These are not like your todays' Eckerd Drug Stores which all look alike. The Kress Buildings have architectural character.

[hauntedheadnc]

In Asheville, the Woolworth's was located just a couple of blocks away from Kress, and it's been restored just as lovingly as the Kress building -- and for the same purpose, too! Woolworth Walk is an art market featuring the works of more than 150 artists.

Here's a link to a pretty good picture and some info about the Woolworth Building.

http://www.geocities.../woolworth.html

[monsoon]

[cityboi]

Thanks for the link! Asheville has such wonderful architecture. I think that city deserves more attention that It gets. It should be ranked up there with Charleston and Savannah.

[hauntedheadnc]

I'm glad you all liked that link. It's a great site for learning about Asheville's outstanding architecture.

But to get back on topic, I think downtown retail like the kind once offered by Kress and Woolworth is vital to central cities. It's a shame that both are out of business, but at least here in Asheville, their beautiful buildings have been comepletely restored and are serving their original commercial purposes again. Another big downtown Asheville department store, Ivey's, went out of business about 20 years ago and the buliding now houses an upscale boutique hotel and a mall. It's not as distinctive as Woolworth or Kress, but it's unmistakable because of a long tendril of oversized bronze ivy snaking along the Haywood Street facade.

I guess, if you can't keep the original business, having the building restored and at least serving the purpose it was meant to serve while helping the tax base and drawing in visitors is about as good as it gets. It's certainly about as good as one can hope for.

Oh, and cityboi, we here in Asheville have long thought ourselves on par with Charleston and Savannah... in our mind those two Southern belles are the stodgy old grandmothers, while Asheville is the vivacious young flapper who stays out late haunting the speakeasies and dancing, of all the things, the Charleston.

[pompeyjohnson]

I don't have the means to post a good picture but our Kress building is located on main street here in Durham. Its four stories tall with a flag pole on the top.

[cityboi]

I've been trying to find photos of the one in Durham but so far no luck.

[pkp]

DruidCity, on Sep 21 2003, 09:05 PM, said:

Mobile Kress building:


Birmingham Kress building :
http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stor.../26/story1.html

http://www.geocities...lesby/kress.htm

There are actually 4 store fronts to the old Kress Building in Mobile. One on Dauphin (which the picture shows), one on Royal, one on St. Emanuel, and one on Conti - so the building is actually shaped like a cross. The empty parts of the "cross" are filled in with other buildings. Unfortunately, most are vacant.

[cityboi]

here are more photos of the Kress Building in downtown Greensboro

rooftop terrace

[monsoon]

[sleepy]

sleepy, on Sep 21 2003, 07:14 PM, said:

monsoon, on Sep 21 2003, 03:15 PM, said:

Wonder how long ago that photo was taken in Memphis or is it current?  The wonderful building is all boarded up.

It was probably taken yesterday afternoon. I'm unaware of any immediate plans to redo the building, though the block south of there is undergoing extensive renovation work, as well as a 16 story apt. building. At least it won't be torn down and I would suspect that once the apt. building goes up, a use will be found for Kress.

Well, monsoon, I was right on the money, although I think most downtowns could use a good dimestore than another hote.


http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/sto.../22/story1.html

New life for historic space
Kress Building to become Marriott hotel suites
Kate Miller Morton

Atlanta-based Summit Management Corp. is redeveloping the Kress Building at 9 N. Main into 46 hotel suites with meeting and retail space.


The Kress suites will serve as an historic annex to the adjacent SpringHill Suites by Marriott, which Summit also developed and manages.

"Because of our current operation here, the unique location of Court Square and the historic significance of the building, we think all of those things together will make it a feasible development," says Summit Management president Greg Averbuch.

[cityboi]

That's Great Sleepy! Its a very different idea.

[monsoon]

[cityboi]

Indeed it is.

[sleepy]

monsoon, on Dec 23 2003, 06:49 AM, said:

This is a very innovative use of one of these buildings. Can't say that I have ever heard of this being done before. At least Marriott didn't tear down the building to build a new ugly tower or something similar.

The building is on the National Register and they couldn't tear it down without some difficulty. In fact, I think it's because of that particular building that they're interested in a hotel.

[tocoto]

Nice thread. I had never heard of Kress. It's a very interesting piece of history.

[Southron]

This thread hasn't been touched in years, but I snapped a couple of pictures of the old Kress building in Selma, Alabama and wanted to add them to the collection.




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The Kress building in Montgomery was referenced in an earlier post, which included a photo of one of its two facades. The Montgomery Kress had an entrance on Dexter Avenue and another on Monroe Street.

Dexter Ave


Monroe St

[Dylan]

Im gonna get some new pics of the one in Asheville tomorrow, weather permitting.