Art Deco Architecture

E… Egypt Zamalek, Cairo, Egyptby John Kannenberg This bit...

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:24:11 -0400

E… Egypt

Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt
by John Kannenberg

This bit of Deco sculpture would not be out of place in NYC, say around Rockefeller Center. Zamalek is an exclusive neighborhood in central Cairo.

E… Ecuador Estadio Municipal, Otavalo, Ecuadorby John...

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:36:00 -0400

E… Ecuador

Estadio Municipal, Otavalo, Ecuador
by John Meckley

Colorful old building - entrance to a soccer stadium - documented by a world-traveling Deco documenter, John Meckley.

D… Dominican Republic Iglesia San...

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:48:29 -0400

D… Dominican Republic

Iglesia San Felipe, Dominican Republic
by colros

Deco church with cross-shaped stained glass.

D… Denmark Skagen, Denmarkby northern_belle87 Deco...

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:16:14 -0400

D… Denmark

Skagen, Denmark
by northern_belle87

Deco lighthouse.

D… Durban Broadwindsor, Durban, South Africaby Andrew...

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:28 -0400

D… Durban

Broadwindsor, Durban, South Africa
by Andrew Moore

My brain just says, “!!!!!”

It looks as though this photographer has snapped more Durban Deco so I’m bookmarking it.

D… Dundee North Tay Works, Dundee, Scotlandby...

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:36:17 -0400

D… Dundee

North Tay Works, Dundee, Scotland
by jackdeightonsf

Deco in Scotland.

From Flickr:

Former MacGregor and Balfour building off Loon’s Road, Dundee.

D… Dublin Dublin, Irelandby dublinartdeco Not only a nice...

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:48:20 -0400

D… Dublin

Dublin, Ireland
by dublinartdeco

Not only a nice shot, but a gateway to a big collection of Dublin Deco (alliteration, yay!) which I hopefully will get back to spotlighting later.

D… Dresden Dresden, Germanyby Stuart-Lee In searching for...

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:56:48 -0400

D… Dresden

Dresden, Germany
by Stuart-Lee

In searching for an example of Deco/Jugendstil in Dresden, I didn’t find any right off, but it did find this INCREDIBLE example of Art Nouveau. And how could I not share THIS?!

From Flickr

There’s a whole street of these buildings in the Neustadt….

Dresden-Neustadt, Dresden, SN, DE

D… Dijon Gare de Dijon, Dijon, Franceby Cart1 Resuming the...

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:37:20 -0400

D… Dijon

Gare de Dijon, Dijon, France
by Cart1

Resuming the alphabet of Deco, here we are in the D’s again.

Hotel Settles, Big Spring, TexasPhoto via Texas Society of...

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:46:51 -0400

Hotel Settles, Big Spring, Texas
Photo via Texas Society of Architects

And one MORE renovation success story today!

Hotel Settles: A Bell Cow Rings Again

For more than 30 years, Hotel Settles was a Big Spring eyesore. In its abandoned and deteriorating condition, it was also an embarrassing reality check of the city’s decline. Despite several attempts to revive it, the building was headed for demolition. Mercifully — and cognizant of the arduous task at hand — Big Spring-native son and visionary G. Brint Ryan, now of Dallas, purchased the landmark in 2007 and re-opened its doors this February after a $30M six-year historical rehabilitation. The 15-story Classical Revival/Art Deco hotel is now an appealing destination in West Texas that is breathing new life into the surrounding community.

Read more and check out the photo gallery.

And Another Theater Saved

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:42:04 -0400

Wow, news of another old theater in the process of being successfully renovated. The 1938 Art Deco State Theatre in Culpeper, Va., came perilously close to demolition while it sat empty for almost a decade..

From the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Culpeper State Theatre: The Curtain Rises Again

After sitting vacant for almost a decade, the 1938 Art Deco State Theatre in Culpeper, Virginia, a 2012 Great American Main Street Award winner, is back in business. For years, the theatre sat abandoned, coming perilously close to demolition before being purchased by Culpeper natives Greg and Liz Yates. At the time, there was a hole in the ceiling near the stage and the building was seriously dilapidated. But thanks to a committed group of community members, led by the State Theatre Foundation, a $9.3 million historic rehabilitation has raised the curtain on the former vaudeville and movie house, revealing a gorgeous 560-seat live theatre.

The rehabilitation has restored key historic elements, including the beloved neon marquee, while also installing a $1 million state-of-the-art sound system, expanding the stage, and creating a 50-seat black box theater for smaller shows. The project also retained a segregated staircase that was once for black patrons.

The State Theatre is listed in the National and State Registers of Historic Places. “Some of the theatre’s most stunning features are the reproduction of the original carpeting and the beautifully reproduced wall sconces that grace the auditorium walls,” said Ed Bednarczyk, executive director of The State Theatre Foundation, the theatre’s nonprofit developer. “The original proscenium arch embraces the stage as it did 75 years ago,” he added.

…

To finance the project, the State Theatre Foundation used approximately $1.6 million in federal historic tax credits, a program that since its inception has contributed more than $106 billion to rehabilitate 38,700 vacant and underutilized historic spaces and create 2.3 million jobs. The foundation also used $1.6 million in Virginia state historic tax credits.

More…

Greenbelt Theatre, Greenbelt, MarylandPhoto by Matthew...

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:24:11 -0400

Greenbelt Theatre, Greenbelt, Maryland
Photo by Matthew Johnson

Speaking of old Deco theaters, I’ve seen the lobby renovation for this theater in the news, and shared it over on this blog’s Facebook account. Today Google News brought me this update:

Greenbelt Theatre to Receive $75,000 to Repair Art Deco Lobby

From the article:

Earlier today, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced 24 grants to landmarks around the D.C. area that competed in a social media contest earlier this month. Many of the locations receiving money are old houses of worship, National Park Service locations in need of private funding, and monuments to fallen members of the U.S. armed forces.

One recipient location’s grant, however, was cause for great enthusiasm among the area’s movie lovers. The Greenbelt Theatre, in Prince George’s County, will get $75,000 to fix up its once-ornate art deco lobby, which has been in scrappy condition for some time now. And while the $75,000 won’t pay for the entire renovation, it will account for a significant chunk of the necessary repairs.

I haven’t been able to find any pictures of the lobby, either as it is now or as it was originally. Links or phot submissions welcome.

Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgiaby Wendy Darling Instagram I...

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:23:00 -0400

Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
by Wendy Darling

Instagram I called “Waiting for the magic to start.” I love going to movies at the Plaza. Almost all of what I go see is old movies, from silent movies to cult to 1980s. In the past year, I’ve seen: Phantom of the Opera, White Zombie, M, Barbarella, Stand by Me, Ghostbusters, The Pit and the Pendulum, Flesh Gordon and a few more.

Interior, Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgiaby Wendy...

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:36:19 -0400

Interior, Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
by Wendy Darling

Vintage restroom signs.

Main Theater, Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgiaby Wendy...

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:48:17 -0400

Main Theater, Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
by Wendy Darling

The large theater with its new curtains (same style, same color, just new) and new seats, which have a sort of Deco pattern. Some people really like the old seats, but they were super, super tired IMO. These new seats are spiffy and comfy.

Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgiaby Wendy Darling I thought this...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:31:00 -0400

Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
by Wendy Darling

I thought this was cool: The old film projection system is being used as a door stop. It was replaced with a new film system, which operates alongside a new digital projection system. (They want to be able to show types of films.) I guess they didn’t want to just toss it and this way it’s kind of a display.

Interior Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgiaby Wendy Darling A few...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:22:12 -0400

The awesome new carpeting. Runs throughout lobby and down aisles of the two theaters.

Back of the theater. Large theater to the left, small up stairs to the left. (Small theater was originally balcony of large theater.)

Entrance to the main theater.

Renovated hang-out spot, just as you pass the ticket/refreshments counter and before the lounge/bathroom area.

Lounge area, which is sometimes used for special events like live DJ or costume party or what have you.

New RKO mural. I don't who did this but it's pretty good.

Interior Plaza Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
by Wendy Darling

A few snapshots of the recent renovations. Among things that have been replaced or upgraded: carpet, paint on walls, massive curtains inside the main theater, seats in the main theater, projector (and new digital projector put in as well), sound system. And more things too, but those are the main. They are nearing up on completion.

Plaza Theatre, Atlanta, Georgiaby Wendy Darling Interrupting the...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:13:00 -0400

Plaza Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia
by Wendy Darling

Interrupting the oft-interrupted Deco A-Z to present some recent shots of Atlanta’s Plaza Theatre, which is near the end of extensive interior renovations. I was there on Friday to see Fritz Lang’s psychological thriller M and again on Saturday for Ghostbusters.

D… Detroit Detroit Saturday Night Building, Detroit,...

Thu, 09 May 2013 19:12:25 -0400

D… Detroit

Detroit Saturday Night Building, Detroit, Michigan
Photo by Michael G. Smith

True, I’ve been making an effort to post Detroit pictures but had not seen this building before. I love the window treatments on the ground level.

From Flickr:

This is one of Detroit’s more significant—yet little-appreciated—Art Deco buildings. It was designed for Detroit Saturday Night by Smith, HInchman & Grylls Chief Designer, Wirt Rowland, and was completed in 1929. The building is located at 1959 E. Jefferson Avenue, just east of the Dequindre Cut.

Rowland used here many of the design elements of the Penobscot Building, most notably, limestone facing, beveled roof-line, “organ pipes” or convex fluting, stepped arch, and emphasis on both vertical and horizontal. The significance of the building is due in part to its extraordinary similarity to the Art Deco structures in and around Miami Beach, constructed beginning in the mid-thirties. The similarities may, in fact, be an outgrowth of the design efforts of Wirt Rowland in Detroit.

(Continue…)

D… Des Moines French Way Cleaners, Des Moines, Iowaby Dave...

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:24:30 -0400

D… Des Moines

French Way Cleaners, Des Moines, Iowa
by Dave Williams

A most impressive architectural detail. (Wider shot of the building, here.)