Vintage Kohl's, Southeastern Wisconsin

     Back in the days when Kohl's was a supermarket and mid-mod architecture was the norm came a mix between the two. Kohl's back then were pretty recognizable with their interesting design quirks. One of these quirks was the shape of the store. Most stores were fitted with a steeply curved roofs that looked like tarps were nailed to the ground to cover the store. Sure, the designs were short-lived and not very practical, but they break up retail design in Wisconsin. Would you rather have large, white boxes, lots of gaudy arches (though I do enjoy arches), or semi-circle, tarp designs that are a blast from the past?

Here's Kohl's number one in Cudahy (cud-uh-hay), located off Kinnickinnic Avenue and Plankinton. It is now an AC/heating company.

Compared to the other two stores in this post, this store may have been changed a little sometime. This store lacks the supports from the sides of the roof down to the front of the store. The brick structure on the left of the store with the loading bay looks to be an addition.

      I don't know when the designs were changed to something less outlandish, but there were flaws with the design. One problem arose with the wood in the roof. Between being bent for decades and all of the wear-and-tear with weather, the wood would begin to crack and decline. Maintenance to fix and sustain the roof would become an unnecessary expense when there were other options for building a store. The other problem is that architecture isn't timeless. Stores like this are going to look worse and worse over time compared to the sterile, modern buildings constructed today.

Kohl's number two, located near the old Southgate Mall off of 27th Street and Loomis Road. It's now an Office Depot. I got this off of Street View as I drove by but couldn't take photos. 

     Maybe what makes these stores even cooler is how they aren't all that hard to find. I discovered three, though only made an effort to see one. I didn't really drive that much in the Milwaukee area, so there are probably more out there to be found. The design of the store also means that they stand out quite well, so you aren't looking for a needle in a haystack. Even finding the stores still standing is a wonder in itself. Badly designed, outdated stores 50 years old aren't something you can expect to see everyday. It all just adds to how unique the stores are. Too bad the cookie-cutter Kohl's of today aren't nearly as cool.

The last Kohl's is across the street from Southridge Mall in Greendale. It directly faces the mall's Macy's. The Kohl's likely closed when Southridge opened with its own Kohl's anchoring the mall. Kohl's is moving again, this time from Southridge to a development at the corner of 84th Street and Layton Avenue. A Bed, Bath, and Beyond now occupies this Kohl's.

And by the way, the roof indeed curves inside the store too. This was inside the Bed, Bath, and Beyond.