S. H. Kress & Co. was an iconic American “five-and-dime” retail chain founded by Samuel Henry Kress in 1896. Renowned for their ornate Art Deco architecture, over 200 Kress stores transformed Main Street America. This one is in Durham.
We end the series of images of architecture, from Gothic, Modern, and Art Deco in Durham, North Carolina.
Kress Building Sign
Kress Building from the Side
Doors and windows complement the Gothic architecture of Duke Chapel
Entrance to Duke Chapel
Window to Duke Chapel
Eastern Redbuds provide a colorful contrast to the Gothic architecture of Duke Chapel and the surrounding buildings
Eastern Redbuds at Duke Chapel
The architectural style of the Duke Chapel is inspired by English Gothic and represents one of the last great collegiate Gothic projects in this country.
Duke Chapel
Duke Chapel Full View
A building with architecture different from Gothic at Duke University
Duke University Different Architecture
Another building of Gothic architecture with a lot of windows at Duke University
Duke University Building
The term Collegiate Gothic derives from Gothic Revival, an architectural style inspired by medieval Gothic architecture. When the founders of Duke University were deciding on the architectural style for the new campus, they visited many established universities, including the University of Chicago, Yale, and Princeton, and decided that a Collegiate Gothic campus within a North Carolina Piedmont forest would be ideal for Duke.
Gothic Architecture Duke University
Strolling around Duke University displays the classic Gothic architecture
Strolling at Duke University
The Davison Building was designed to open onto the university’s academic quad. Forming the heart of the historic West Campus of Duke University residential community, Craven and Crowell Quads are as synonymous with Duke’s classic Gothic architecture as the Chapel itself.
Home to approximately 395 sophomores, juniors, and seniors, Craven Quad was originally built in the 1930s and renovated in 2019.
Duke University Quad
Duke University Craven Quad
Visited Durham, North Carolina, to capture the architecture of Duke University and the surrounding areas.
Our first stop was at Duke Cancer Center. The architecture reflects the collegiate Gothic style of the Duke campus, while ample natural light and arched wood accents, echoing the Carolina pines, harmonize with the surrounding environment.
Duke Cancer Center
Davison Building, Duke Cancer Center
Chester Cathedral (in Chester, England) began its life as a Benedictine Abbey in 1093. The site had previously been used as a place of worship during Saxon times, but the Benedictine monks were the first to build a church there in the Norman style. This Norman influence can still be seen in the north transept, the north tower and parts of the cloister. The cathedral was rebuilt from 1250 onwards in the much more dramatic Gothic style.
Chester is a city in northwest England, founded as a Roman fortress in the 1st century A.D. It’s known for its extensive Roman walls made of local red sandstone. In the old city, the Rows is a shopping district distinguished by 2-level covered arcades and Tudor-style half-timber buildings.
Chester Town Hall was completed in 1869 as a city administration building. The architect William H. Lynn designed the town hall in the Gothic Revival architectural style. It was inspired by Cloth Hall at Ypres in Belgium. The Chester Town Hall is no longer used for administrative purposes. It is now rented for special events like weddings, conferences and other celebrations.
Known for my affinity for elephants, couldn’t resist capturing a small elephant statue in front of the Chester Town Hall!
While full of fantastic sights, the pride of York, England is clearly its cathedral, the York Minster, the largest Gothic church north of the Alps (540 feet long, 200 feet tall). Splashed with stained glass and graced with soaring ceilings, this dazzling church brilliantly shows that the High Middle Ages were far from dark. The twin towers were built between 1438 and 1472 and each has four pinnacles of 30ft in height.
The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England. York Minster is the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe. It is famous for its incredible gothic architecture, with work starting in the 1200s and not finishing until the 1470s. Although it is by definition a cathedral, as it is the site of a bishop’s throne, the word ‘cathedral’ did not come into use until the Norman Conquest. The word ‘minster’ was what Anglo-Saxons named their important churches.
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced is also known by the locals as just “Iglesia de la Merced.” The building is a Catholic temple dedicated to the Virgen de las Mercedes and has a neo-Gothic architecture. It stands out as the main tower has a German Gothic style, with a wonderful view to Braulio Carrillo Park (La Merced Park), where it is located.
Trinity Episcopal Church, Wilmington, Delaware was built in the 1880s. It is a traditional English Gothic structure that features beautiful stained glass windows. The exterior walls are made of rough, dressed Avondale stone, and the church has a high, steeped roof. The church’s tower and spire were added in 1925. Twelve bronze bells in the tower chime the hour.
The architecture of Corinth Reformed Church, Hickory, North Carolina is reminiscent of a fine European cathedral. The exterior of the building is of gray Georgia granite with Indiana limestone trim. The spire is of extruded and structural aluminum rising 164 ft. 6 in. from the terrace floor at the entrance. The belfry below the spire is built up of carved and molded limestone tracery, giving a lacy and ethereal feeling to the church tower. The main entrance is of limestone having carvings similar to those found on French Gothic churches.
Built between 1175 and 1490 Wells Cathedral has been described as “the most poetic of the English Cathedrals.” Set in the medieval heart of England’s smallest city – Wells, it is the earliest English Cathedral to be built in the Gothic style and has an international reputation.
Wells Cathedral
St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle is a place of worship for The Queen and the Royal Family as well as a church serving the local community. Built by kings, shaped by the history of the Royal Family and still the location for both splendid Royal events.
The construction of the Chapel was begun in 1475 by Edward IV and completed by Henry VIII in 1528. The architecture represents one of the finest examples of ‘Perpendicular Gothic’ style in England.
St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle
One of the most recognized buildings in the world, the Palace of Westminster in London owes its stunning Gothic architecture to the 19th-century architect Sir Charles Barry. The design and layout of the building were carefully designed to serve the needs and workings of Parliament.
Palace of Westminster