The Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles are interrelated and
at first were considered one style. Modernist Art Deco is the
vertical mode, and Steamline Moderne the horizontal. Art Deco is
mainly a style of decoration that employs “modernistic,”
stylized motifs on essentially Neoclassical buildings. The style
came to the United States after the 1925 Exposition des Arts
Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, which had
prohibited historical references in the designs displayed.
Visiting American architects were intrigued with the idea that
modernity could be achieved through decoration. The almost
frivolous and joyful explosion of decoration on Art Deco
buildings made it extremely popular during the Great Depression.
As a vertical style, it was also particularly well suited to
skyscrapers. Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and
the Chrysler building are all examples. • Vertical emphasis •
Zigzag, stylized geometric, Native American, or Mayan Motifs
Information and some images from Historic De