Kress Building
224 E. Douglas

S. H. Kress and Company constructed this innovation in "dime store" design in 1929 to determine whether elegant architecture would encourage sales. The five-story building with its Gothic terra cotta ornamentation proved a success, and a variation of the building was constructed in Dallas.

By most accounts, it is the best example of Gothic commercial architecture in Wichita. The quatrefoil stone ornaments in the horizontal banding, the arched window groupings on the fifth floor, and the polychrome terra cotta cornice make this an outstanding building.