Los Angeles Art Deco

Art Deco made its formal appearance in Paris at the 1925 L'Exposition Internationale des Arts Dâecoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a showcase for art, architecture, and design that promoted progress, modernity, and the present. The greatest export from this exhibition was a style that has since been recognized as one of the great design movements of the 20th century. Art Deco's growing recognition coincided with the growth of Los Angeles as the entertainment capital. Between the world wars, the city's architecture sprouted characteristic signs of Art Deco: the interplay of vertical and horizontal features, geometric shapes, use of exotic and modern materials, as well as simplified streamlined forms. This volume's collection of images celebrates Los Angeles's Art Deco heritage, showcasing such structures as Bullock's Wilshire, Sunset Tower, the Oviatt Penthouse, the Wiltern and Pantages Theatres, and many more.--From publisher description.

Before it was famous for its midcentury commercial design, Los Angeles was already a treasure trove of elegant architecture in the Art Deco style. Products of the streamlined design aesthetic of the 1920s and New Deal building during the 1930s, many of these buildings fell into disrepair or were marred by ill-fitting façades in later years. But recently they have become the focus of intense preservation efforts, appreciated once again for their timeless charm. This glorious survey features hundreds of color photographs from across the L.A. Basin—with dazzling details from the majestic to the whimsical—that define Art Deco style. With a foreword by Bevis Hillier, the critic who coined the term Art Deco, here's a gem for Deco buffs and Los Angeles aficionados alike.

Art Deco made its formal appearance in Paris at the 1925 L'Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a showcase for art, architecture, and design that promoted progress, modernity, and the present. The greatest export from this exhibition was a style that has since been recognized as one of the great design movements of the 20th century. Art Deco's growing recognition coincided with the growth of Los Angeles as the entertainment capital. Between world wars, the city's architecture sprouted characteristic signs of Art Deco: the interplay of vertical and horizontal features, geometric shapes, use of exotic and modern materials, as well as simplified streamlined forms. This volume's marvelous collection of images celebrates Los Angeles's Art Deco heritage, showcasing such structures as Bullock's Wilshire, Sunset Tower, the Oviatt Penthouse, the Wiltern and Pantages Theatres, and many, many more.

The architecture and interior design of 1920s and 1930s Los Angeles is celebrated in this delightful photographic tour of fabulously detailed residential, commercial, and public buildings. The distinctive Southern California version of the Art Deco style is revealed, from the hilltop Griffith Observatory to the houses designed by Lloyd Wright, among many others. An insightful introduction by respected architectural historian David Gebhard discusses the history of the style as it was adopted in the sunny, rather sleepy region during the early decades of the twentieth century. As a guidebook to extant architecture of the period in Los Angeles, L.A. Deco offers the latest look at these historic buildings, through the lens of Carla Breeze, a New York City-based photographer and the author of Pueblo Deco. Book jacket.

"The goal of the logo is to alert readers to the threat that massive unauthorized photocopying poses to the future of the written work. [...] The Deco idiom col- onized broadcast facility, from the world's metropolis in London to the North American prairie, and instrument, the radio cabinet, in the houses of the prosperous to the relatively poor. [...] This book would not have been possible without the vision and support of Luc Noppen and the Institut du patrimoine of the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, which founded the Prix Phyllis-Lambert. [...] In addition to Luc and the Institut du patrimoine, I would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the IODE (War Memorial Scholarship Program), the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) (with support of TD Financial Bank), and, at UBC, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Department of Art H [...] There are numerous others who gave of their time and expertise: Don Luxton, Linda Fraser at the CAA, Joan Seidl at the Museum of Vancouver, the staff at the City of Vancouver Archives and the Vancouver Public Library, the staff at the Special Collections at UBC, Alexis Sornin and the librarians at the CCA, Kathleen Correia and the staff at the California State Library, Jennifer Whitlock at the Uni"--

At 5:55 p.m. on March 10, 1933, Southern California was rocked by a massive earthquake. Wood-frame bungalows lost their chimneys, and engineered concrete buildings suffered minimal damage. But unreinforced masonry buildings near the epicenter failed catastrophically, and Long Beach was particularly hard hit. Nearly three-quarters of the school buildings, as well as many other structures, were rendered unusable until repaired or rebuilt. The Art Deco style, in addition to being fashionably modern in 1933, met the criteria of earthquake safety, and many new structures showed its influence. Both the Zigzag Moderne style of the 1920s, which boasted many structures that survived the earthquake, and the Streamline Moderne style that came into vogue in the 1930s relied on sleek lines with decoration incorporated into the design. This volume celebrates, in both word and image, the Long Beach that rose from the rubble to become a premier Art Deco city. At 5:55 p.m. on March 10, 1933, Southern California was rocked by a massive earthquake. Wood-frame bungalows lost their chimneys, and engineered concrete buildings suffered minimal damage. But unreinforced masonry buildings near the epicenter failed catastrophically, and Long Beach was particularly hard hit. Nearly three-quarters of the school buildings, as well as many other structures, were rendered unusable until repaired or rebuilt. The Art Deco style, in addition to being fashionably modern in 1933, met the criteria of earthquake safety, and many new structures showed its influence. Both the Zigzag Moderne style of the 1920s, which boasted many structures that survived the earthquake, and the Streamline Moderne style that came into vogue in the 1930s relied on sleek lines with decoration incorporated into the design. This volume celebrates, in both word and image, the Long Beach that rose from the rubble to become a premier Art Deco city.

Known as "the bible" to Los Angeles architecture scholars and enthusiasts, Robert Winter and David Gebhard's groundbreaking guide to architecture in the greater Los Angeles area is updated and revised once again. From Art Deco to Beaux-Arts, Spanish Colonial to Mission Revival, Winter discusses an impressive variety of architectural styles in this popular guide that he co-authored with the late David Gebhard. New buildings and sites have been added, along with all new photography. Considered the most thorough L.A. architecture guide ever written, this new edition features the best of the past and present, from Charles and Henry Greene's Gamble House to Frank Gehry's Disney Philharmonic Hall. This was, and is again, a must-have guide to a diverse and architecturally rich area. Robert Winter is a recognized architectural historian who lives in Los Angeles, and has led architectural tours through the Los Angeles area since 1965. He is a professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles.