S.H. KRESS BUILDING SARASOTA

By  Mike Miller December 3, 2025

S.H. Kress Building is a striking example of art deco commercial architecture in downtown Sarasota, Florida.

Originally a "five and dime" department store, this three-story brick structure once buzzed with shoppers hunting bargains on everything from candy to housewares.

Today, its preserved façade, adorned with the iconic "5-10-25 CENT STORE" inscription, anchors downtown's eclectic mix of bars, shops, and galleries.

The S.H. Kress Building emerged during Sarasota's darkest hour, following the 1920s real estate bust and the 1929 stock market crash.

It was constructed in 1932 as a flagship Kress store during the depths of the Great Depression. It had around 25,500 square feet of space spread between the three floors.

The Sarasota Kress Building was the 232nd store in the nationwide S.H. Kress & Co. chain founded by Samuel Henry Kress.

Kress was also a philanthropist who later endowed the National Gallery of Art. Anyway, he envisioned his stores as "civic art," blending commerce with architectural beauty.

The building was designed by Edward F. Sibbert, the company's chief architect, who created over 50 Art Deco Kress stores across the country between 1929 and 1944.

The Sarasota location is a rare Spanish-themed Art Deco design, one of only three such Kress buildings in the U.S. (the others are in Daytona Beach, FL, and Lubbock, TX).

It has vertical Art Deco lines, buff bricks, ornamental terra cotta, curved glass display windows, and brass doors.

Intricate local motifs on the exterior like "S"-shaped scrolls and arrowheads represent Sarasota and its Native peoples.

The terrazzo floors, marble trim, and 20-foot-high ground-floor ceiling were perfect for dramatic displays. Steel-frame construction with concrete ensured durability.

The project employed about 65 local workers, injecting vital funds through sub-contracts for area firms.

General contractor G.A. Miller Inc. of Tampa, fresh off Sarasota landmarks like the Edwards Theatre (now the Sarasota Opera House), oversaw the build.

He built twenty stores for Kress in multiple states. This store opened December 1, 1932, after a preview the previous day drew an astonishing 8,000 people.

This was nearly the entire population of Sarasota at the time, highlighting its importance as a community and economic hub. In 1980 the S. H. Kress store became McCrory's.

In 1984 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its engineering and design excellence as one of Sarasota's rare surviving examples of Art Deco.

Many of the former Kress stores are recognized landmarks or on the National Register. In 1994 the store finally closed its doors.

Since then, it's been rented to various businesses for offices. The soda fountain was on the ground floor, but the fixtures were removed at some later date.

In 1999 the building was historically designated by the city of Sarasota. In 2020 it was purchased by Eric Baird of EB Kress LLC for $5.8 million.

He envisions a high-end retail revival while honoring its heritage. As of recent real estate listings, 5,000 - 20,000 square feet of retail space in the building is available for lease.

The advertisement mentions a “gorgeous glass elevator”, but I don’t know if that’s original to the building.

S.H. Kress Building is at 1442 Main Street, Sarasota FL 34236 in downtown's Five Points district.

The building is steps from the bayfront, opera house, and Selby Library, ideal for a self-guided historical stroll.

Park at nearby garages or meters, and pair your visit with the free downtown walking tour map from Visit Sarasota County.

While the interior is currently used for private offices and is not regularly open to the public, the exterior is viewable at any time. Its building materials have weathered remarkably well.

Visitors are encouraged to explore on foot, admire the detailed facade, and look up to see the unique third-floor ornamentation.

There are very few Art Deco buildings in Sarasota, especially of the scope and design quality of the Kress building. 

The surrounding area offers numerous shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions if you want to make a day of it.

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