Opened in 1933, the Kress Building at the southwest corner of Main and Mangum streets sports a facade of stone and glazed terra cotta that graced more than fifty buildings the S.H. Kress Co. had constructed for its dimestores in the 1930s.

After Kress went out of business in 1981, the Durham building, like many of the chain's others locations, was renovated into offices with its architectural details restored and its mezzanine floor kept intact to provide views of the original original sales-floor ceiling. More recently, the building has been re-renovated into residential condominiums.