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By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

The Tyler Historic Preservation Board designated the S.H. Kress and Company building, located on the downtown square, as a historic landmark on Thursday.

“Having a historic landmark in our downtown area will further draw attention to the historic nature of our city and of the many historic buildings in downtown,” said Barbara Holly, director of Planning and Zoning for the city of Tyler.

On June 7, 2006, the Historical Preservation Board recommended the S.H. Kress building for inclusion in the Tyler Landmark Register of Historic Places. The building was constructed at 116 W. Erwin St. in 1946. Its pale yellow, brick facade with off-white trim was the signature storefront for Kress five-and-dime stores across the United States. According to officials with the Historic Preservation Board, Tyler’s Kress was one of the last to be built as a downtown storefront.

The building is owned by Martin and Michelle Heines, who renovated the inside and opened Balance Pilates Studios there last year.

“We are very honored to be given this award,” Martin Heines said after a brief ceremony inside the studio.

The couple earned a Brick Award from Heart of Tyler in 2006 for their renovation.

“This is about economic development in the context of historic preservation,” said Beverly Abel, Heart of Tyler president. “This building is a textbook example of adaptive re-use. They followed the intent of the building, the structure, and were still able to make it modern. This just goes to show you that it doesn’t have to be ‘George Washington slept here,’ for it to be a historic place.”