Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and the Creed Building

In modernist architecture, there are a slew of different forms and methodologies: brutalism, deconstructivism, futurism, postmodernism, structuralism, etc. Even in its formative stages, during the 1920s and early 1930s, we still see very many different styles, like the constructivist architecture of the Soviet Union, the expressionist architecture of Europe, the "New Objectivity" style of German-speaking Europe, the organic architecture which influenced the design of houses and residences, and the International Style which influenced large commercial and industrial centers throughout the world. Undoubtedly though, one of the most predominant styles of architecture in the 1920s (in the United States, at least), is Art Deco.

Art Deco, in effect, "modernizes" many artistic themes and styles from the past, so it can be seen as "an amalgam of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Art Nouveau, and Futurism." While the overall structure often derives from those of ancient cultures (in particular, Greek, Roman, Middle Eastern, Egyptian, and Mayan/South American), it is based on fundamental geometric shapes, like cubes, trapezoids, and smooth circular curves, which gives the buildings a modernist, "building block" feel. In terms of materials, Art Deco often purposefully used exotic materials like ivory, stainless steel, and even sharkskin in place of more traditional materials - this often caused Art Deco buildings to be viewed as ornate, ostentatious, and gaudy (indeed, this is why Art Deco fell out of favor after the 1930s).

Art Deco was not solely influenced by the structures of ancient cultures, however. A branch of Art Deco, known as Streamline Moderne, imitated the technology of the Machine Age and in particular, forms of transportation: the automobile, the ocean liner, and the modern airplane.

A good example of Streamline Moderne in Toronto is the Creed Building:









(note: the above pictures are not taken by me; you can find them here)

To illustrate the Streamline Moderne aspects of the Creed Building...:

1. Note how the length/width/height ratio of the building (see third photo) mimics that of an ocean liner. In addition, the roof of the front of the building is a bit more elevated than the roof of the rest of the building, making it appear like the stern.

2. Notice the repetitive window pattern along the long side of the building. In particular, note how each window is divided into smaller cells, and how two middle cells are emphasized. As an Art Deco building, this represents the geometry and regularity of the elements. If you look closely, you can also see that above each window is what appears to be a black light fixture. This element is also repeated along the length of the building.

3. Long white lines stretch across the entire length of the building. Again, regularity. Indeed, long linear "elements" can be found in many other examples of Art Deco as well.

4. The curved corner (entrance) of the building. Curves are ubiquitous in Art Deco. This curve sort of compromises the appearance of the entire building as a ship (since ships are, indeed, streamlined, and streamlined objects generally do not have large round bulges), but it does serve a number of architectural purposes (like making the entrance very visible). Also, the curve is an exact quarter-circle: again, we see the importance of fundamental geometric shapes in Art Deco.


Art Deco influences are fairly common in our society today. If you want to see more examples of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne architecture, check out the link in the first post.