Architecture for the Soul - Art Deco
Any approach to today's topic, Architecture for the Soul - Art Deco, should probably start with some historical perspective. The first thing to consider is that the term “Art Deco” refers to far more than a highly stylized approach to architecture. Instead, it is an all-encompassing design approach that erupted from the modernism of the 1920s to take hold of fashion and design. Let’s discuss this a bit more.
The style, the movement, and the name originated with the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, which was held in Paris in 1925. According to Lynn Palermo, a French professor at Susquehanna University:
The goal of the fair was that “the French intended to reclaim commercial and aesthetic leadership in the decorative arts, an industry which France had traditionally dominated. According to the exposition organizers, development of an original style to signal a clear break with the pastiches of the nineteenth century would be crucial to this enterprise.
The exhibition lasted six months and has resonated worldwide ever since. This seminal event indelibly influenced interior decor, jewelry design, shipbuilding, sculpture, textiles, painting, automotive design, glasswork, graphic design, architecture, and more.
Discussing all the various Art Deco-influenced disciplines would take longer than this post allows. So, let’s just focus on architecture today.
Some of my earliest memories are visiting the Chrysler Building, Radio City Music Hall, and the Empire State Building. Then, on the ride home, wondering why my house in suburbia didn’t look that way. Then, as a grown man in 1981, I vividly recall sitting at the Avalon Hotel on South Beach and staring at the ocean over drinks. The differences between the New York Art Deco style and the South Beach Art Deco Style have never been very important to me. Instead, those distinctions simply add to the fun and inspire debate.
Let’s look at a few buildings, starting with Radio City Music Hall, completed in 1932 as part of the grand Rockefeller Plaza plan. The architect was Edward Durell Stone, and the interiors were the work of Donald Deskey. Many of the innovations in the auditorium, such as the split stage, the curvilinear ceiling for superior acoustics, and the dramatic hidden lighting, still dazzle audiences. Although I may risk falling into the dreaded “cliché zone,” Radio City should not be missed on any tourist visit to Manhattan.
What would Art Deco be without the Chrysler Building? Who knows? We know that the Chrysler was borne of the Roaring Twenties, a time of real estate speculation in Manhattan where developers were battling for prestige of all types, and taller was better. The project's original developer was William Reynolds, and he chose the architect, William Van Allen. To make a very long story short, Reynolds sold control of the development to Walter Chrysler of automobile manufacturing fame. That transition would prove crucial to many of the now legendary details.
ArchDaily does a nice job of saying:
The Chrysler Building is a classic example of the Art Deco style, from the street to its terraced crown. Interior and exterior alike, it is admired for its distinctive ornamentation based on features that were also found on Chrysler automobiles at the time.
The fact is, to experience the Chrysler Building is to be carried back in time.
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The ethereal stainless-steel skin from the German manufacturer Krupp, the gargoyles, the replicas of Chrysler automobile hood ornaments, the sunburst illusion beneath the spire, the African stone walls in the lobby, the ceiling mural etc., etc. It’s all there as a visual and immovable feast.
The Chrysler Building formally opened in 1930 and was, for about eleven months, the tallest building in the world before being eclipsed by the Empire State Building. Ironically, some of the best views of the Chrysler are from the Empire State Observation Desk. My last visit confirmed prior thoughts that the lobby alone is worth a hundred visits. It is a space so magical that even jaded Manhattanites occasionally pause to take it in. Le Corbusier said the building was
Hot jazz in stone and steel.
Let the master have the last word!
It may seem hard to believe in 2024, but the place so grandly known today as “South Beach” was headed for a date with the wrecking ball in the 1970’s. A significant portion of south Miami Beach, where the Art Deco architectural style had once been so beautifully expressed, had fallen into a sullen dilapidation. The neighborhood's demographics tended towards the elderly, retired, and those with fixed incomes, with a mixed dose of the homeless. The developers were eager to scoop up the old buildings for a song and start over on the prime beachfront locations.
Luckily for all of us, a robust group of preservationists came to our cultural rescue. The Miami Design Preservation League was formed. One of the most vocal and colorful of the Crusaders was Barbara Baer Capitman. The New York Times paid high tribute in titling her 1990 obituary: “Barbara Baer Capitman, 69, Dies; Created Miami Art Deco District.” While she may not have created it, her endless agitations and advocacy helped save the District.?
The area was formally recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, a great victory, to say the very least. Instead of tearing them down, the iconic hotels were renovated, and a worldwide tourist destination came to life. This might be a good time for a recap. The aforementioned Miami Design Preservation League does a great job below in telling you what to look for in your search for tropical Art Deco authenticity:
Art Deco is admittedly a tad quirky, and maybe not for everyone. What cannot be denied is the unique gravitas of a space like the Chrysler Building lobby or the tropical frivolity of the Miami Art Deco District. Thanks for reading. John Valentine 305-986-1046