"Simple lines are modern. They are restful to the eye and dignified and tend to cover up the complexity of the machine age…they allow us to feel ourselves master of the machine." Paul T. Frankel.Art Deco and its derivation, the strikingly designed Streamline Moderne, were two of the more dramatic examples of American architecture that broke with the tradition of reviving historical styles. While Art Deco captured the spirit of the moment, the modern age, Streamline Moderne offered a glimpse of the future. It was this vision of a near-Utopian, sci-fi world that helped to lift the American public out of the gloom of the Depression.
The Streamline Moderne's unique style boasted a fully automated world in which machines, controlled by man, were everywhere -- and yet, at the same time, virtually invisible. Even the building's mechanical system was invisible: pipes, ducts, electrical conduits, and air-conditioning units were all hidden behind a smooth exterior.
This ultra-modern style displayed an intense fascination with speed. Its visual vocabulary (the curve, the teardrop and the uninterrupted horizontal line) was derived largely from the form of high-speed modern transportation machines: the airplane, the automobile and even the ocean liner. A rapid sense of movement was imparted by narrow horizontal bands of windows that often wrapped around corners and by horizontal layering on the building's façade that used changes in colors or materials. For the limited number of Americans who could afford to build, a Streamline Moderne made them appear progressive, scientific, and avant-garde.
Identifying features:
- Surfaces of concrete, stucco, or metal.
- Horizontal rectangular container.
- Facades asymmetrically composed.
- Accents in terra cotta, glass block.
- Dramatic rounded corners, semicircular bays and other details suggesting motion.
- Small round windows reminiscent of portholes on yachts and ocean liners.
- Metal window frames and doors
Source: REALTOR.com with Permission
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment