The Kress Building, Fort Worth, Texas
historic place
The Kress Building, a historic place in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, was erected in 1936. Designed by New York architect Edward F. Sibbert, this structure exemplifies the Classical Moderne Art Deco style. It originally housed the S.H. Kress & Co. five-and-dime store, a significant retail presence from 1936 through 1960. The building's design included Meso-American accents and a pillar-less ground floor for spacious shopping. Notably, it was one of the few major projects constructed with private funds in downtown Fort Worth during the Great Depression. It also featured an early central air-conditioning system, a rarity at the time. The Kress Building was designated a City of Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmark in 1990 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Today, it serves as a mixed-use development. This building matters historically as a distinguished example of commercial architecture and economic resilience in its era.