Art Deco in the United States

Art Deco - United States

Streamline locomotive (1939)); Delano and National Hotels, Miami Beach (1947 and 1940); Chrysler Building, New York City (1930); Prometheus statue at Rockefeller Center (1930)
Years active	1919-1939
Country	United States

Delano and National Hotels, Miami Beach (1947 and 1940); Chrysler Building, New York City (1930);

The Art Deco style, which originated in France just before World War I, had an important impact on architecture and design in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. The most famous examples were the skyscrapers of New York, including the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center in New York City. It combined modern aesthetics, fine craftsmanship and expensive materials, and became the symbol of luxury and modernity. While rarely used in residences, it was frequently used for office buildings, government buildings, train stations, movie theaters, diners and department stores. It also was frequently used in furniture, and in the design of automobiles, ocean liners, and everyday objects such as toasters and radio sets. In the late 1930s, during the Great Depression, it featured prominently in the architecture of the immense public works projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administration and the Public Works Administration, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam. The style competed throughout the period with the modernist architecture, and came to an abrupt end in 1939 with the beginning of World War II. The style was rediscovered in the1960s, and many of the original buildings have been restored and are now historical landmarks.

Detail of ornament on the Chrysler building crown

Chrysler Building in New York City, (1928–30)

Radiator ornament decoration on the Chrysler Building

The Empire State Building (1931)

Crown of the RCA Victor Building (now the Comcast Building) (1930–31)