Cities with the most Art Deco buildings

Danie · #1 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 1:43 PM**

What city have the most Art Deco buildings

Steely Dan · #2 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 1:46 PM**

NYC.

and it's not even close.

chicago & detroit also have some fantastic deco tower collections as well, but nothing remotely close to the volume of NYC.

Chisouthside · #3 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 1:51 PM**

Los Angeles has many as well, just not necessarily in the form of highrises or skyscrapers.

CaliNative · #4 Posted **Oct 31, 2019, 9:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chisouthside

Los Angeles has many as well, just not necessarily in the form of highrises or skyscrapers.

Eastern Columbia building is once of the best still around. The old Richfield Tower was a nice art deco, but unfortunately was torn down in 1968-69 to make way for the 52 story ARCO twins.

badrunner · #5 Posted **Oct 31, 2019, 6:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliNative

Eastern Columbia building is once of the best still around. The old Richfield Tower was a nice art deco, but unfortunately was torn down in 1968-69 to make way for the 52 story ARCO twins.

This streetview that sopas ej posted was vaguely reminiscent of the richfield tower. Black Gold:

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopas ej

I'm old enough to remember when this was a Crocker Bank:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0690...7i16384!8i8192

Some old timers tell me that if the Richfield tower still stood today it would be the most beautiful building in the city. Another underrated gem is the county USC medical center: https://goo.gl/maps/4oMX9b78y8AbTxxN6 Gotta love that postwar Berlin brutalist aesthetic. This might actually be the largest art deco building in the country. I think it just edges out Buffalo city hall.

Steely Dan · #6 Posted **Oct 31, 2019, 6:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by badrunner

This might actually be the largest art deco building in the country. I think it just edges out Buffalo city hall.

no. that title easily belongs to chicago's merchandise mart, with its 4M SF of floor space (over 7x larger than buffalo city hall).

it was the largest building in the world when it was built and it still ranks somewhat high on that list nearly century later.

it's a true beast of a building.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchandise_Mart

Crawford · #7 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 1:51 PM**

Far Upper Manhattan and the West Bronx.

Pretty much anyplace that boomed in the 1930's will have art deco.

Antares41 · #8 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 2:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crawford

Far Upper Manhattan and the West Bronx.

Pretty much anyplace that boomed in the 1930's will have art deco.

In the Bronx you can see art deco blgds. on the Grand Concourse from 149th street up to Mosholu Pkwy.

Crawford · #9 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 2:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antares41

In the Bronx you can see art deco blgds. on the Grand Concourse from 149th street up to Mosholu Pkwy.

Yeah, I would guess the Grand Concourse and Ocean Drive have the most prominent art deco collections.

For Grand Concourse, you have miles of art deco, and thankfully almost nothing was lost during the decline era, because the Concourse never hit rock-bottom like nearby areas. Even in the worst years of the 70's and 80's, the Concourse was semi-respectable.

If you're an urbanophile, I highly recommend a walk up (or down) the Concourse. One of the best urban walks anywhere. The Jewish Park Avenue from the 1930's through the 1970's, and considered a step up from Manhattan back then.

mrnyc · #10 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 2:01 PM**

well, miami beach of course.

that's probably the most in comparison to the city as a whole.

and napier, new zealand is pretty famous for it too.

but lots of cities have great examples.

Centropolis · #11 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 2:09 PM**

eastern plains cities are a nice cluster of course, KC, OKC, and Tulsa...as a proportion of their pre-war built environment.

Antares41 · #12 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 3:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Centropolis

eastern plains cities are a nice cluster of course, KC, OKC, and Tulsa...as a proportion of their pre-war built environment.

I agree with this, been to all three cities . Tulsa was the most impressive in my opinion. It was a boom town in the 1920's due to oil production.

mrnyc · #13 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 2:10 PM**

based on a lot of walking around for work, i believe there is only one open lot along the grand concourse. it is remarkably intact.

but although there is a lot of it, art deco does not dominate nyc as a whole as it does in the small art deco and tourist oriented cities mentioned.

and it doesn't stand out quite as it does in the small western towns, like with old deco theaters, nor as it does in los angeles being all scattered around out there.

hauntedheadnc · #14 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 3:11 PM**

For what it's worth, Mumbai has the second largest number of Art Deco structures on earth. I believe the city at number one in that respect is New York.

In the US, meanwhile, New York is first, and Miami Beach is second.

In the US Southeast, though, Miami Beach is at number one and... Asheville... is second.

Handro · #15 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 3:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

For what it's worth, Mumbai has the second largest number of Art Deco structures on earth. I believe the city at number one in that respect is New York.

In the US, meanwhile, New York is first, and Miami Beach is second.

In the US Southeast, though, Miami Beach is at number one and... Asheville... is second.

Interesting, where are these rankings from?

hauntedheadnc · #16 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 4:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handro

Interesting, where are these rankings from?

The New York Times, although I had the rankings wrong. Miami apparently has the world's largest collection of Art Deco, followed by Mumbai. Mumbai's Art Deco and Victorian Gothic structures, by the way, are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As far as the rankings in the Southeast, that's something that's been in Asheville's tourist literature for decades. Downtown Asheville is littered with Art Deco buildings, and several of the city's most prominent buildings including city hall and the high school, are Art Deco.

So that would put it at Miami as number one in the world and Mumbai as second, Miami as number one in the US and whoever, probably New York, at second, and Miami at number one in the Southeast, and Asheville as second.

Handro · #17 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 4:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

The New York Times, although I had the rankings wrong. Miami apparently has the world's largest collection of Art Deco, followed by Mumbai. Mumbai's Art Deco and Victorian Gothic structures, by the way, are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As far as the rankings in the Southeast, that's something that's been in Asheville's tourist literature for decades. Downtown Asheville is littered with Art Deco buildings, and several of the city's most prominent buildings including city hall and the high school, are Art Deco.

So that would put it at Miami as number one in the world and Mumbai as second, Miami as number one in the US and whoever, probably New York, at second, and Miami at number one in the Southeast, and Asheville as second.

Cool--thanks for the article about Mumbai!

MonkeyRonin · #18 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 4:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

For what it's worth, Mumbai has the second largest number of Art Deco structures on earth. I believe the city at number one in that respect is New York.

I've heard that said about a number of cities, including Shanghai:

http://www.timeoutshanghai.com/featu...-Shanghai.html

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/298433912777461246/

https://archive.shine.cn/feature/Art.../shdaily.shtml

And once upon a time, Tokyo (most of which was destroyed in WWII however).

https://live.staticflickr.com/3072/2...4c0c6e42_z.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10232046@N00/2619760635

hauntedheadnc · #19 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 4:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

And once upon a time, Tokyo (most of which was destroyed in WWII however).

A fact that quite frankly makes my bowels quiver from sheer, unadulterated rage. My God, what was lost...

cabasse · #20 Posted **Oct 30, 2019, 5:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

For what it's worth, Mumbai has the second largest number of Art Deco structures on earth. I believe the city at number one in that respect is New York.

In the US, meanwhile, New York is first, and Miami Beach is second.

In the US Southeast, though, Miami Beach is at number one and... Asheville... is second.

Atlanta might dispute that no 2 ranking in the SE - though Asheville does have a lot of art deco for its size, surely. (or perhaps Birmingham which has a lot as well)

https://wdanielanderson.wordpress.co...-architecture/ (some of these are art moderne and beaux arts among others)