Samuel Henry Kress (July 23, 1863 – September 22, 1955) was a businessman and philanthropist, founder of the
S. H. Kress & Co.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. The subsidiary chain in Puerto Rico survived the parent company and is still in business there; see Tiendas Kress for more detail.The business was...
five and ten cent store chain. With his fortune, Kress amassed one of the most significant collections of
Italian RenaissanceThe Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
and European artwork assembled in the 20th century. In the 1950s and 1960s, a foundation established by Kress would donate 776 works of art from the Kress collection to 18 regional art museums in the United States.
Kress was born in the village of Cherryville, near
Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 106,632...
, the second of seven children born to John Franklin Kress and Margaret Dodson (nee Conner) Kress.
Samuel Henry Kress (July 23, 1863 – September 22, 1955) was a businessman and philanthropist, founder of the
S. H. Kress & Co.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. The subsidiary chain in Puerto Rico survived the parent company and is still in business there; see Tiendas Kress for more detail.The business was...
five and ten cent store chain. With his fortune, Kress amassed one of the most significant collections of
Italian RenaissanceThe Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
and European artwork assembled in the 20th century. In the 1950s and 1960s, a foundation established by Kress would donate 776 works of art from the Kress collection to 18 regional art museums in the United States.
Biography
Kress was born in the village of Cherryville, near
Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 106,632...
, the second of seven children born to John Franklin Kress and Margaret Dodson (nee Conner) Kress. His siblings were Mary Conner Kress, Jennie Weston Kress, Palmer John Kress, Claude Washington Kress, and Rush Harrison Kress. Another sibling, Elmer Kress, died ten days after being born. His father was a retail merchant.
In his youth Kress found work in the stone quarries. A highly intelligent individual, he obtained his teaching credentials by the age of 17 and began work as a schoolteacher. His first position was instructor for a class of 80 students for which he was paid $25 per month and which required he walk 3 miles each way to the schoolhouse.
He opened a retail business in 1887, which was described as a "stationery and notions" store in
Nanticoke, PennsylvaniaNanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,955 at the 2000 census.-History:Samuel H. Kress opened his first store, which grew into the national S. H. Kress & Co...
. As the business prospered he used his profits to open additional stores, naming the stores in the chain "S. H. Kress & Co." These eventually would become popularly known as the "Kress Five and Dime" stores. Unlike many businessmen of his day who only opened their stores in large urban areas, Kress wisely located his stores in smaller cities spread over 29 states he felt would grow in commerce and prosperity. These stores became the jewel of many of these cities, who only had a dry goods or general store until then. Kress never married or had children. He was a Mason. There is speculation in several publications that indicate Kress was homosexual, but if he was, he most certainly would have maintained discretion given the times and his social status. By the mid-1920s, he was living in a penthouse at 1020 Fifth Avenue in New York City, across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which he visited and contributed to regularly.
He was the founder and president of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. An avid art lover, he acquired a collection of paintings and sculpture, primarily of the Italian Baroque school. Luckily for Kress, these paintings were thought to be "out of date" and "old fashioned" during the Victorian and Edwardian age, so he was able to purchase them at relatively low auction prices. In 1929 he gave the Italian government a large sum for the restoration of a number of architectural treasures in Italy. Beginning in the 1930s Kress decided to give much of his art collection to museums across the country while he was still alive and well. Many of the paintings he donated to those same smaller cities that brought him his fortune with their stores. In several cases, his gifts become the basis for the start of art museums in those areas which never would have afforded artworks of this importance and quality.
On March 17, 1941, Kress gave a large gift of art with Paul Mellon to the people of the United States and thus began the National Museum of Art in Washington, D.C. Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the gift personally.
Today, the masterpieces Kress donated are considered priceless and the Kress Foundation has dispensed millions of dollars to worthy organizations and institutions in the years since.
S. H. Kress & Co.
S. H. Kress & Co., a chain of "five and dime" retail
department storeA department store is a retail establishment which specializes in satisfying a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s, was started in
Nanticoke, PennsylvaniaNanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,955 at the 2000 census.-History:Samuel H. Kress opened his first store, which grew into the national S. H. Kress & Co...
, by
Samuel H. KressSamuel Henry Kress was a businessman and philanthropist, founder of the S. H. Kress & Co. five and ten cent store chain. With his fortune, Kress amassed one of the most significant collections of Italian Renaissance and European artwork assembled in the 20th century...
in 1896. Eventually expanding to over 200 locations nationwide, Kress stores were long a familiar sight in most cities and towns of the United States. The Kress chain was known for the fine
architectureFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
of the stores, with a number of locations being hailed by architects for their design. A number of former Kress stores, now put to other uses, are ranked as landmarks. Some of the most well-known Kress locations included
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
's Fifth Avenue,
Canal Street, New OrleansCanal Street is a major thoroughfare in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.Forming the up-river boundary of the city's oldest neighborhood, the French Quarter , it formed the dividing line between the older French/Spanish Colonial era city and the newer American sector, the Central Business...
, and one at Hollywood's
Hollywood BoulevardHollywood Boulevard is a boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out and runs due west to Laurel Canyon Boulevard. West of Laurel Canyon it continues as a small...
. In 1964 ownership of Kress was acquired by Genesco, Inc. The company abandoned its center-city stores and moved to the shopping malls. Genesco began liquidating Kress and closing down the Kress stores in 1980.
Art Collector
Kress was a passionate collector of paintings and sculpture, especially that of the
Italian RenaissanceThe Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
and
Italian Baroque-History:The early 17th century marked a time of change for the Roman Catholic religion.A turning point that symbolized their strength as a congregation and the intelligence of their creative minds....
.
The Kress Foundation
In 1929, at the age of 65, he established the Kress Foundation to promote understanding and appreciation of European art in the United States. Kress was a major early donor to the U.S. National Gallery of Art. He also donated art to more than 40 other U.S. museums. Samuel H. Kress died in New York City.
American museums having important Samuel H. Kress Collections
- National Building Museum
The National Building Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
, Washington, DC
- National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art is a national art museum, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum was established in 1938 by the United States Congress, with funds for construction and a substantial art collection donated by Andrew W. Mellon plus major art works donated by Lessing J...
, Washington, DC (Paintings 376, Sculptures 94, Bronzes 1307, Drawings 38)
- Allentown Art Museum
The Allentown Art Museum is an art museum located in the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It was founded in 1934 by a group organized by noted Pennsylvania impressionist painter, Walter Emerson Baum. With its collection of over 13,000 works of art, the Allentown Art Museum...
, Allentown, PA (Paintings 50, Sculptures 3)
- High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art is a leading art museum in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia on Peachtree Street Northeast, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center, which also includes the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Young Audiences and the 14th Street...
, Atlanta, GA (Paintings 29, Sculptures 3, Furniture 13)
- Birmingham Museum of Art
Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama today has one of the finest collections in the Southeast US, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing a numerous diverse cultures, including Asian, European, American,...
, Birmingham, AL (Paintings 34, Sculpture 2, Furniture 13, Decorative Arts 4)
- Columbia Museum of Art
The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina has a collection of European and American fine and decorative art that spans several centuries...
, Columbia, SC (Paintings 46, Sculptures 2, Bronzes 11, Furniture 9, Tapestries 10)
- Lowe Art Museum
The Lowe Art Museum is an art museum located in Coral Gables, Florida, a Miami suburb in Miami-Dade County. The museum is run and operated by the University of Miami and opened in 1950. The museum has an extensive collection of art with permanent collections in Greco-Roman antiquities, Renaissance,...
, University of Miami Coral Gables, FL (Paintings 44, Sculptures 3)
- Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum is an art museum in Denver, Colorado located in Denver's Civic Center.It is known for its collection of American Indian art,and has a comprehensive collection numbering more than 68,000 works from across the world....
, Denver, CO (Paintings 46, Sculptures 4)
- El Paso Museum of Art
Founded in 1959, The El Paso Museum of Art is located in downtown El Paso, Texas. First accredited in 1972, it is the only accredited art museum within a 250 mile radius and serves approximately 100,000 visitors per year. A new building was completed in 1998...
, El Paso, TX (Paintings 56, Sculpture 2)
- Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts was chartered in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke , who desired to share her love for the arts with the children of Honolulu and Hawaii...
, Honolulu, HI (Paintings 14)
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (Paintings 30)
- Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its neo-classical architecture and extensive collection of Asian art....
, Kansas City, MO (Paintings 9, Sculptures 2)
- Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis.The original...
, Memphis, TN (Paintings 27, Sculptures 2)
- New Orleans Museum of Art
The New Orleans Museum of Art in New Orleans, Louisiana, was established in 1911 as the Delgado Museum of Art with a bequest from Isaac Delgado...
, New Orleans, LA (Paintings 29)
- Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it the oldest art museum on the West Coast and 7th oldest in the United States. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, Portland Art Museum became one of the twenty-five largest art museums in the...
, Portland, OR (Paintings 30, Sculptures 2)
- North Carolina Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art is an art museum that houses the art collections of North Carolina. It is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and 70% of its budget is from private funds collected by the NC Museum of Art Foundation.-Museum:...
, Raleigh, NC (Paintings 73, Sculptures 2)
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco and one of the largest art museums in California.-External...
, San Francisco, CA (Paintings 37, Sculpture 1)
- Seattle Art Museum
The Seattle Art Museum is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It maintains three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, and the Olympic Sculpture Park on the Seattle waterfront, which opened on January...
, Seattle, WA (Paintings 33, Sculptures 2)
- University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ (Paintings 60, Sculptures 3)
- Philbrook Museum of Art
The Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma is an art museum and former home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve Phillips. , the museum has a staff of 60 and an operating budget of nearly $6 million.-History:...
, Tulsa, OK (Paintings 30, Sculpture 6)
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