White terra cotta wraps the Kress Building, the 1934 Art Deco commercial building across the street from the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina. Built in 1934 by S. H. Kress & Co., this two‑story Art Deco structure is faced in white terra cotta with colored terra cotta ornamentation that catches the light as you move. Notice the rounded storefront windows at street level — they give the facade a warm, approachable rhythm that invites you closer.
Above, the cornice contains the word Kress and is surmounted by a stepped parapet, a signature flourish that defines the roofline. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, a recognition of its architectural character. As of 2016, the bottom floor houses a Brazilian Steakhouse while the second floor contains apartments, and there is a penthouse planned for the roof.
Stand here for a moment and let the textures and proportions register: the smooth white tile, the colored ornament, the rounded glass, the stepped silhouette at the top. Across the street, the Columbia Museum of Art keeps up its side of the conversation with this stepped, white terra cotta neighbor.