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.
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