The Kress Brunswick was built in 1909 as part of the Samuel H. Kress & Co. “Five and dime” department store chain. 

For decades, generations of Glynn County’s citizens “came to town” to shop in the Kress store for ordinary necessities before the chain decided to modernize in the 1950s. 

In 1958, S.H. Kress Company purchased the former First National Bank building for $80,000 to expand the adjacent 5¢-10¢-25¢ store. Both structures were demolished and replaced by a single modern two-story building, styled in what a local newspaper article called “a new look” that would replace “two monuments to the past.” 

The design for the new structure featured a colorful porcelain enamel facing on the lower front. The plan of the retail store also included a long luncheon counter some Brunswick residents still remember and a convenience that local civic clubs had been requesting for some time: restrooms open to the public. It was the quintessential “mid-century modern” building flip. 

Now the space is due for a major renovation part of downtown revitalization. We welcome Tommy McGraw, a native Glynn Countian, and his exciting vision for the space that alas lived multiple lifetimes as a downtown Brunswick landmark.