Editing Art Deco Architecture

'''Art Deco Architecture''' transformed Philadelphia's skyline during the 1920s and 1930s, introducing modernistic forms that rejected Victorian ornament and Beaux-Arts classicism in favor of geometric patterns, streamlined silhouettes, and machine-age aesthetics. The style, named for the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, celebrated modernity through bold massing, stylized ornament, and materials that expressed industrial sophistication. Philadelphia produced one of Art Deco's finest American achievements—the PSFS Building—while developing commercial and residential districts that display the style's versatility and lasting appeal.<ref name="gebhard">{{cite book |last=Gebhard |first=David |title=The National Trust Guide to Art Deco in America |year=1996 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=New York}}</ref>

== Characteristics ==

Art Deco architecture employs geometric forms—chevrons, zigzags, sunbursts, and stepped patterns—as both ornamental motif and organizing principle. Building silhouettes step back from the street, creating setback towers that respond to zoning requirements while achieving distinctive profiles. Vertical emphasis predominates, with piers rising uninterrupted through multiple floors to create soaring effects that celebrate height. Materials include polished granite, aluminum, stainless steel, and colored terra cotta, their surfaces catching light in ways that animate otherwise simple forms.<ref name="tatum">{{cite book |last=Tatum |first=George B. |title=Penn's Great Town: 250 Years of Philadelphia Architecture |year=1961 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

Ornament in Art Deco buildings concentrates at specific locations—entrances, cornices, and setback transitions—leaving large expanses of wall relatively plain. This strategic placement maximizes impact while controlling cost, allowing buildings to achieve distinctive character without comprehensive surface treatment. The ornament itself draws from diverse sources: Egyptian and Mayan motifs, abstracted floral and animal forms, and machine-age imagery celebrating speed, power, and technological progress. The overall aesthetic suggests optimism and forward movement, appropriate expression for an era of expanding possibility.<ref name="gebhard"/>

== PSFS Building ==

The Philadelphia Saving Fund Society Building (1932), designed by George Howe and William Lescaze, stands as one of the twentieth century's most important American buildings and Art Deco's finest Philadelphia expression. The 36-story tower broke with contemporary practice in multiple ways: its base occupied only a portion of the site, freeing street-level space; its shaft rose without the setbacks that zoning encouraged; its facades expressed structure and function rather than applied ornament. The building's polished granite base, curved corner banking hall, and distinctive PSFS sign atop the tower created a composition of unprecedented sophistication.<ref name="jordy">{{cite book |last=Jordy |first=William H. |title=American Buildings and Their Architects: The Impact of European Modernism |year=1972 |publisher=Anchor Books |location=New York}}</ref>

Howe and Lescaze combined Art Deco aesthetics with emerging International Style principles, creating a hybrid that satisfied commercial requirements while advancing architectural modernism. The ground floor's curved surfaces and chrome details display Art Deco glamour; the tower's gridded facade and ribbon windows anticipate later modernist developments. Interior spaces—the banking hall, executive offices, and building services—received equally sophisticated treatment, with custom furniture and integrated design throughout. The building's influence extended beyond Philadelphia, demonstrating that American commercial architecture could achieve European modernist standards.<ref name="tatum"/>

Now operating as a Loews Hotel, the PSFS Building retains its architectural character, including the iconic rooftop sign that illuminates the Center City skyline. The building's designation as a National Historic Landmark recognizes its significance to American architectural development. Regular tours and scholarly attention ensure continued appreciation of a building that, when completed during the Depression, announced Philadelphia's participation in architectural modernity.<ref name="gebhard"/>

== Commercial Architecture ==

Art Deco found wide application in Philadelphia's commercial architecture beyond the PSFS Building. Market Street developed concentrations of Art Deco storefronts, theaters, and office buildings during the 1930s, creating commercial streetscapes of modernistic sophistication. Department stores employed Art Deco for facades and interiors that expressed contemporary fashion and consumer culture. Smaller commercial buildings adopted Art Deco elements—geometric ornament, streamlined signage, chrome trim—that provided modern character at modest scale.<ref name="tatum"/>

The N.W. Ayer Building (1929) on Washington Square demonstrates Art Deco applied to a major office building, its limestone facades and setback tower creating an appropriately modern headquarters for America's oldest advertising agency. The building's restrained ornament and sophisticated proportions show Art Deco's adaptability to varied corporate identities. Other commercial buildings throughout Center City display Art Deco details that survive despite decades of alteration, their geometric patterns and stylized ornament providing distinctive character.<ref name="gebhard"/>

== Residential and Institutional ==

Art Deco influenced Philadelphia's residential architecture, particularly apartment buildings where the style provided fashionable modernity appropriate to urban living. The Philadelphian, Rittenhouse Claridge, and other apartment towers employed Art Deco massing and ornament to attract tenants seeking contemporary sophistication. These buildings concentrated in Center City and along Benjamin Franklin Parkway, their stepped silhouettes contributing to the skyline while their lobbies and public spaces offered Art Deco interiors.<ref name="tatum"/>

Institutional buildings adopted Art Deco for structures that required modern expression while maintaining appropriate dignity. Schools, libraries, and government buildings employed the style's geometric vocabulary to signal institutional modernity without abandoning monumentality. The style's ability to achieve grandeur through simplified forms made it attractive for Depression-era public buildings, where limited budgets precluded elaborate Beaux-Arts ornament while public purpose demanded more than industrial plainness.<ref name="gebhard"/>

== Theaters and Entertainment ==

Art Deco achieved particular distinction in theater architecture, where the style's glamour and visual excitement created appropriate settings for movies and live entertainment. Philadelphia's movie palaces of the late 1920s and early 1930s employed Art Deco for lobbies, auditoriums, and facades that transported audiences from everyday life into worlds of fantasy and sophistication. Geometric patterns, concealed lighting, and exotic materials created atmospheric interiors that enhanced the entertainment experience.<ref name="tatum"/>

Though many Art Deco theaters have been demolished or converted, survivors demonstrate the style's theatrical capabilities. The Boyd Theatre (demolished 2015 despite preservation efforts) exemplified Art Deco theater design. Remaining examples have been adapted for new uses or continue operating as performance venues, their Art Deco character providing distinctive atmosphere that contemporary construction cannot replicate.<ref name="gebhard"/>

== Legacy ==

Art Deco's popularity waned during the late 1930s as economic depression and approaching war shifted priorities from stylistic expression to functional efficiency. The International Style, with its rejection of ornament and emphasis on structure, displaced Art Deco in architectural discourse though not immediately in practice. Art Deco buildings continued to serve their purposes, their solidly constructed forms accommodating decades of use while their ornament survived varying degrees of appreciation and neglect.<ref name="tatum"/>

Preservation movements recognized Art Deco's significance during the late twentieth century, leading to documentation, protection, and restoration of significant buildings. The PSFS Building's conversion to hotel use preserved its architectural character while finding economically viable function. Other Art Deco buildings have received similar attention, their geometric ornament and streamlined forms appreciated as irreplaceable expressions of their era. Art Deco's association with glamour, optimism, and modernistic sophistication continues to attract appreciation, making its buildings valued components of Philadelphia's architectural heritage.<ref name="gebhard"/>

== See Also ==
* [[PSFS Building]]
* [[International Style Architecture]]
* [[Beaux-Arts Architecture]]
* [[30th Street Station]]

== References ==
<references />

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|title=Art Deco Architecture in Philadelphia - Modernistic Style of the 1920s-30s
|description=Art Deco architecture transformed Philadelphia during the 1920s and 1930s, producing the PSFS Building and commercial districts featuring geometric patterns and machine-age aesthetics.
|keywords=Art Deco Philadelphia, PSFS Building, Art Deco skyscrapers, 1930s architecture, George Howe William Lescaze, modernistic architecture, Philadelphia skyline, Market Street Art Deco
|type=Article
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[[Category:Architecture]]
[[Category:Architectural Styles]]
[[Category:20th Century]]
[[Category:Art Deco]]