The J. C. Penney Historic District is a historic district in Kemmerer, Wyoming, encompassing several properties associated with James Cash Penney (1875-1971). The district includes the Golden Rule Store, the first in what became the J. C. Penney department store chain, and Penney's home during the store's early years. The district was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1978, for Penney's role in creating one of the first national department store chains.[1][3]
Description and history
The J. C. Penney Historic District is located on the southern edge of downtown Kemmerer, encompassing about 1.2 acre at the junction of JC Penney Drive and South Main Street. Located along the southeast side of South Main Street at this junction are two commercial buildings, of which the one on the right was the original "mother store" of the J. C. Penney department store chain. Both are two-story structures, the one on the left sporting a typical Western false front in front of a gabled roof. The Penney store building is built of stone and has a facade of marble and cast iron, with a flat roof.[3]