One of the five-and-dime chains, S. H. Kress and Company (later renamed Kmart) established their first store in Savannah in 1913 in an existing building on this site (demolished 1922). Kress stores were recognized for their architectural character and their Savannah store is no exception, with its abstracted classical facades enlivened by inset panels of terra-cotta and limestone, as well as decorative brickwork. A 1938 expansion to the east, altering the adjoining Blumberg Building, seamlessly doubled the store’s size (noticeable only by the central pair pilaster strips on the upper stories) and adding the metal canopy. McCrory Stores purchased the location in 1980, closing this Kress store in 1997. In 2001 the upper stories were converted to residential use.

