The Kress Building is the iconic, Art Deco style building of Elm Street. It was built during the Great Depression, in 1930, as a five and dime store. The owner believed even inexpensive items should be purchased in a place of beauty. As you can see from the above photo, the façade is distinctive. There so much interesting history surrounding the building. For example, it was part of the Greensboro Sit-In Movement of 1960, two months after the ones at Woolworth. Forty-five people were arrested for sitting at the lunch counter. Another bit of local imagery sits on the top of the building, at the columns flanking the word KRESS. Tobacco leaves flowing out of the horns of a ram, a nod to the tobacco industry in North Carolina. Also, the building implemented an early form of air conditioning where ice was frozen by night and the ice was used to cool salt brine water to cool the building- so very mid 20th century creative!*
In 2001, the penthouse of The Kress Building, formerly a mechanical room, was transformed into a penthouse for John Lomax, President, Lomax Construction. We're wondering if those curtains are part of the penthouse. We'll have to ask Lori Gray, who designed the space for John. In the meantime, we'll just have a Great Gatsby experience and sit here at "White and Wood Resturant," across the street admiring this beautiful building. If walls could talk, 212 South Elm Street would write a book!
Happy Tuesday!
- reference and more great information, here.
That is a beautiful exterior.
Posted by: William Kendall | Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 07:43 AM