On May 8, 2008 at 4 p.m., the City of Tyler Historic Preservation Board will host a ceremony to present the plaque that represents the designation of the S.H. Kress and Company Building for inclusion in the Tyler Registry of Historic Places. The event will be held at the building which is located at 116 W. Erwin Street in Tyler.
One of the responsibilities of the Tyler Historical Preservation Board is to recommend historic properties to be included in the Tyler Landmark Register of Historic Places. On June 7, 2006, the Tyler Historical Preservation Board unanimously approved the recommendation of the S.H. Kress and Company Building for inclusion in the Local Register of Historic Places.
“Having a historic landmark in our downtown area will further draw attention to the historic nature of our City and of the many historic buildings in downtown,” said Barbara Holly, director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Tyler.
The S.H. Kress and Company building was built in 1946. The building has a pale yellow brick façade with off-white trim that was the “signature” storefront for Kress from its beginning to the mid 1930s. Edward Sibbert, a well educated New York architect employed by the prestigious Kress chain, reverted back to the original storefront circa 1940. As written in “America’s 5 & 10 Cent Stores, The Kress Legacy” by Bernice L. Thomas, Kress stopped building on Main Streets around 1942. The store in Tyler is one of the last stores constructed in a downtown.
Martin and Michelle Heines, owners of the building, have completely rehabilitated the interior of the building in the last year. It now houses their business, Balance Pilates. (Photos of Studio)