Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

S. H. Kress Five-And-Ten Cent Store

By Tim & Renda Carr, May 22, 2010

1. S. H. Kress Five-And-Ten Cent Store Marker

Inscription. Built in 1937, Birmingham’s S. H. Kress Five-and-Ten Cent Store was the second completed of the three great mercantile buildings on this intersection. Its construction reflected Kress’s confidence in Birmingham’s economy and marked a break by its chief architect, Edward F. Sibbert, with prior architectural traditions by incorporating Bauhaus, Streamline Moderne and the emerging International Style influences into the creamy mottled terra-cotta and steel-framed structure.

Thriving through the Second World War and into the early 1960’s as part of Birmingham’s historic retail and theatre district, the company’s downtown fortunes began to diminish as activity and population moved toward the suburbs and into newer forms of retail development. The store was closed in 1978, and the building was added to the National Register in 1982.

The Kress Building was acquired in 2003 by the shareholders of the law firm of Wiggins, Childs, Quinn and Pantazis, P.C. After a complete restoration of the building and its historic features in 2003 and 2004, the Kress Building once again has regained the vibrant and significant presence it once enjoyed.

Kress, LCC Founding Shareholders Robert L. Wiggins, Jr. • Robert F. Childs, Jr. • C. Michael Quinn • Dennis G. Pantazis • Richard J. Ebbinghouse • Ann K. Wiggins • Samuel

By Tim & Renda Carr, May 22, 2010

2. S. H. Kress Five-And-Ten Cent Store Marker

Marker located on the 19th Street Side of the building.

Fisher • Ann C. Roberterson • Joseph H. Calvin III • Deborah A. Mattison • Timothy B. Fleming • Jon C. Goldfarb • Gregory O. Wiggins • Rocco Calamusa • Brian M. Clark • Russell W. Adams • Barry V. Frederick

Kress Building Restoration Team
Architectural and Design: Tammy Cohen and Stan Corson of Cohen & Company
Developer and Project Coordinator: John Lauriello and Julie Gieger of Southpace Properties, Inc.
General Contractor: Andy Anderson and Charles Ferlist of Charles & Vinzant
Preservation Consultant: Linda Nelson of FuturePast
Samuel H. Frazier, Attorney-At-Law

Location. 33° 30.946′ N, 86° 48.502′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. Marker is at the intersection of 19th Street North and 3rd Avenue North, on the right when traveling north on 19th Street North. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301 19th Street North, Birmingham AL 35203, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Alabama Theatre (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Civil Rights Freedom Riders (about 400 feet away); Clark Building (about 700 feet away); Brock Drugs Building (about 700 feet

The Kress Building image. Click for full size.

By Tim & Renda Carr, May 22, 2010

3. The Kress Building

away); Eddie James Kendrick (about 700 feet away); The Berry Project (approx. 0.2 miles away); Temple Wilson Tutwiler, II / Tutwiler Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Title Building (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

Categories. • Notable Buildings •

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on November 29, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 4,467 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 29, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.