kress :: 1

The pictures in today’s post is one of those OMG moments for me. When I lived in Columbia, SC i was aware of the Kress building that is in downtown Columbia. But, I’m guilty of what I’m trying to instill in others through my talks–BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. I knew of the Kress building. I saw it often but never really SAW it which also means I don’t have any pictures of it. *slaps self in face*

When I was in San Antonio, TX walking around the day after my talk, I turned a corner and was facing a Kress building. S. H. Kress & Co. was the trading name of a chain of five and dime retail department stores in the United States, which operated from 1896 to 1981 (via Wikipedia). These buildings are historical landmarks which means the city tries to keep the buildings restored to their original condition as best as possible. So, when I came across this one in Texas, I started snapping away. Exactly 4 weeks later I was in Orlando, FL. You can imagine how happy I was when I came across the Kress building. I have put the first few pictures side by side because they are just so interesting to see next to each other:
Here are some additional detail shots of the Kress building in Orlando:





This is how the building is branded now. It’s a restaurant:Here are some additional detail shots of the Kress building in San Antonio:



VisuaLingual is a blog I follow and they have recently posted about Kress buildings they have come across:
Here is the Kress building in Tampa, Florida.
Here is the Kress building in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Is there a Kress building in your city? If so, please take pictures of it and tweet them to me @nikki_vz.