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S. H. Kress and Co. Building (Tampa, Florida) facts for kids

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S. H. Kress and Co. Building
Tampa architectural photos 213.jpg
S. H. Kress & Co. building in downtown Tampa
S. H. Kress and Co. Building (Tampa, Florida) is located in Florida
S. H. Kress and Co. Building (Tampa, Florida)
Location in Florida
S. H. Kress and Co. Building (Tampa, Florida) is located in the United States
S. H. Kress and Co. Building (Tampa, Florida)
Location in the United States
Location 811 N. Franklin St., Tampa, Florida
Area less than one acre
Built 1928
Architect G.E. Mackey
NRHP reference No. 83001424
Added to NRHP April 7, 1983

The S. H. Kress and Co. Building is a historic 1928 building in Tampa, Florida, United States. It was part of the S. H. Kress & Co. "five and dime" department store chain. On April 7, 1983, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Located at 811 N. Franklin Street, the building has a second fronting on Florida Avenue and is in the Renaissance Revival architectural style. G.E. Mackey was the four story building's architect, and it includes masonry, suspended bronze marquee, extensive use of terra-cotta ornamentation (on both of its facades). It was "one of the last major commercial structures built in Tampa before the Great Depression".

Kress Bldg Tampa
The former Woolworth building pictured on left with Kress building behind it and J.J. Newberry building at far right

The Kress store was located between a Woolworth and former J.J. Newberry. The buildings have been empty for more than a decade and redevelopment plans have stalled in the face of economic downturn. Plans by the Doran Jason Group to demolish two of the buildings and replace them with a "massive" condo development were held off in 2006. The Kress building would have been used as a lobby with office and retail space. The Newberry store was founded in 1911 and "is noted for its architecture", while lunch-counter sit-ins were held by civil rights activists at the Woolworth store in the 1960s.

In 2011, a fundraiser at the Kress building was cancelled due to the dispute over redevelopment plans. The building is to be used for social gatherings during the 2012 Republican Convention.

Gallery

  • Tampa architectural photos 143

    Kress building

  • Tampa architectural photos 210

    Roofline of Kress building

Images for kids

  • KressWoolworthBlock DowntownTampa 05

    The former Woolworth building pictured on right, with Kress building behind it, and J.J. Newberry building at far left. Behind the block are the Floridan Palace Hotel and the Nine15 apartment complex.

  • KressWoolworthBlock DowntownTampa 03

    Woolworth stonework (May 2021)

  • KressWoolworthBlock DowntownTampa 02

    Inside J.J. Newberry Building (May 2021)

  • KressWoolworthBlock DowntownTampa 04

    Inside Woolworth Building (May 2021)

  • H. Kress and Co. Building

    Kress block

  • TampaFranklinStreetNorth

    Historical postcard showing the Kress Block (back left).

  • Kress Bldg Tampa04

    Rear-side of Woolworth building on the Kress block

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