Art Deco Architecture

During the High Middle Ages, Europeans built the tallest Gothic cathedrals to be closer to God. In the 1920s and 1930s, Americans erected the tallest skyscrapers in the world to symbolize the spirit of fast-paced, modern urban life. These skyscrapers featured a distinct international style called Art Deco. Art Deco was popular during the interwar period of the 20th century. In architecture, this style is instantly recognizable because of its geometric look and expensive materials. Keep reading to learn more about the history, artists, and more.

Fig. 1 - Costume design for Ballets Russes by the then-Cubist painter Pablo Picasso (1917) mixes the two essential influences of Art Deco.

Art Deco Architecture: Summary

Born in France in the second decade of the 20^th century, Art Deco spread throughout Europe and the United States by the mid-1920s. A key point in its development was the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts of 1925—a world fair in Paris where Art Deco was prominently displayed. In fact, this fair was the source of the term "Art Deco."

Art Deco: Definition

Art Deco was an international style in applied arts and architecture in the 1920s and 1930s that focused on simple geometric shapes and a streamlined look and often used expensive materials like steel.

Art Deco: Time Period

Art Deco dominated applied arts and architecture in the 1920s and 1930s internationally.

Fig. 2 - Rockefeller Center, by Samuel H. Gottscho, 1933. Source: Library of Congress, Wikipedia Commons (no known copyright restrictions).

Art Deco effectively ended with the start of the Second World War. However, 1960s architects rediscovered it, restoring many original buildings. Today, these buildings are historic landmarks.

Art Deco Architecture: History and Background

World fairs became a fixture in Europe in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The French were the first to organize large displays to promote French manufacturing and industrial production and to compete with Britain. Eventually, world fairs began to display products from several countries. They also provided various types of entertainment and attractions to impress the audience. Today, industry-focused expos and conferences are smaller versions of these events.

The Parisian International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts was actually supposed to take place in 1916. However, because of the First World War, this fair had to be moved to a later date—1925.

• The Parisian International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts featured more than 20 countries, and the Art Deco style came of age here. The relative simplicity of this style was also different from Art Nouveau—an earlier style considered too flowery by some.
• Art Deco, therefore, represented a new vision for applied and commercial arts along with architecture. The well-known French designer Maurice Dufrêne argued that the emerging Art Deco represented the rational world, whereas the outdated Art Nouveau, the irrational.

Fig. 3 - Chicago World's Fair, A Century of Progress poster, 1933.

Art Deco had many diverse influences: from Cubism to Ballets Russes dance company in Europe.

Art Deco Architecture: Examples in the United States

The Art Deco style began to spread throughout American cities in the 1920s. Skyscrapers, office buildings, department stores, and even train stations and dams featured Art Deco elements. Today, many of these buildings are considered historic landmarks.

Iconic American Skyscrapers

Many famous skyscrapers featuring the Art Deco style are located in New York City, Detroit, and Chicago—the key urban and industrial centers of that period. What these buildings have in common is their impressive height, their streamlined look, and their use of expensive materials. Many of these structures were conceptualized by famous architects or firms.

Art Deco Skyscrapers: Timeline

Some of the well-known skyscrapers are:

The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is perhaps the most famous Art Deco skyscraper in the United States. It is also a landmark famous worldwide, symbolizing New York City. Erected in 1931, the Empire State Building's height is 1,454 feet. At that time, the skyscraper was the tallest building in the world and held the top spot until 1970. Today, this skyscraper is part of the U.S. National Historic Landmarks list as well as the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Fig. 4 - Empire State Building, 1932.

The Kansas City Power and Light Building

New York City and Chicago are symbols of the modern lifestyle in the 20^th-century interwar period. But they are not the only cities that feature historic Art Deco architecture. The Kansas City Power and Light Building (KCP&L Building) is a landmark skyscraper in Kansas City, Missouri. This skyscraper was designed by the Holt, Price & Barnes architecture firm and was built in the same year as the Empire State Building.

Art Deco Architecture: Artists and Architects

There were many well-known Art Deco creators around the world: artists, architects, illustrators, and even costume designers. Tamara de Lempicka, for instance, was a famous artist of Polish descent who worked in France. Another visual artist, Romain de Tirtoff (Erté), of Russian background, also operated in Paris. He created illustrations, designed sets, costumes, and fashion, and did interior design. Renowned Mexican painter Diego Rivera, known for his murals, is also associated with Art Deco.

Fig. 5 - Diego Rivera, Detroit Industry mural, 1932-33. Source: Detroit Institute of Arts, Wikipedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license).

Arguably, the best-known Art Deco-era architect was Le Corbusier. A Swiss-born French architect, he is considered one of the most important 20th-century architects who also significantly impacted city planning. Le Corbusier went far beyond Art Deco. He was interested in making public and private spaces functional and examined the interaction between people and their environment.

Many American architects and firms used the popular Art Deco style in their work:

• William J.J. Chase
• Paul Cret
• Bertram G Goodhue
• William F. Lamb
• Wyatt C. Hedrick
• George W. Kelham

Art Deco Architecture: Characteristics and Variants

Some of the traits of Art Deco are:

• expensive materials (steel, reinforced concrete);
• streamlined, simple, clean look;
• geometric design and motifs.

American architecture produced a number of its own versions of Art Deco.

Fig. 6 - Greco Deco style example, Rackham Graduate School Building at the University of Michigan, by Corrado Parducci. Source: Wikipedia Commons (GNU Free Documentation License).

One such style was Greco Deco which developed in the late 1920s. Greco Deco was a fusion of Greco-Roman inspiration and modern Art Deco. This style could be found in reliefs or murals in various structures. Greco Deco was so popular that many American government buildings constructed before the Second World War featured it.

The mid-1930s saw the rise of another Art Deco variant called Streamline, for instance, the style of the San Francisco Maritime Museum (1936). Because Streamline originated during the economic devastation of the Great Depression, its look was simpler. At times, the Streamline style displayed elongated shapes and iron railings.

Finally, the PWA Moderne variant of Art Deco also emerged amidst the Great Depression. Indeed, it was directly linked to the government initiatives to resolve economic hardship under the New Deal. "PWA" stands for "Public Works Administration" projects in the United States. Many public buildings from this period, including libraries, schools, museums, and even dams and bridges, used this style. One of its most famous examples is the Hoover Dam (1931-1936) on the border of Nevada and Arizona. This project was inaugurated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself and was completed with the help of thousands of laborers.

Legacy

The style of architecture in the United States changed after the Second World War. However, by the 1960s, many of the original Art Deco buildings began to be restored. Today, some of the structures from the 1920s-1930s are considered historic landmarks because they represent the artistic heritage of the United States. The Empire State Building, for instance, houses one of the most famous museums in New York City.