From 1925 to 1940, Art Deco was embraced by Americans as a refreshing change from the revivalist sensibilities that preceded it. Art Deco takes its name from the "Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs" held in Paris, in 1925, as a showcase for new inspiration. Some key characteristics of Art Deco is that buildings were richly decorated with hard-edged, low-relief designs such as: geometric shapes, including chevrons and ziggurats; and stylized floral and sunrise patterns. Shapes and decorations inspired by Native American artwork were among the archetypes of the Art Deco lexicon.

 

Although some buildings used expensive hand-crafted decorations, others used machine-made repetitive decorations. To keep costs low, ornamental treatment was often limited to the most visible parts of the building. Art Deco projects also produced dynamic collaborations between architects, painters, sculptors, and designers.

 

In its day, some of what we now refer to as Art Deco was often called Moderne, or Art Moderne, a term used to describe the most advanced design ideas of the 1930s through to the end of World War II. Being close cousins, Art Deco and Art Moderne shared stripped-down forms. But Art Moderne had a horizontal rather than vertical emphasis, rounded rather than angular corners, and little surface ornamentation. Art Deco was first applied to public and commercial buildings in the 1920s. Although individual homes were rarely designed in the Art Deco style, architects and developers found that the style adapted quite well to apartment buildings. Most of these buildings are still in use today, adding to the rich history of architecture.

 

In conclusion, Art Deco was practical for projects on a tight budget, for example, a simple box design could be decorated with motifs that made a conceptually basic structure appear fashionable and up to date. Visual interest could be further enhanced by stretching linear forms horizontally and vertically throughout the building. This was frequently done with bands of brick, canopies, or copings.