Streamline Moderne is an international style of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by

aerodynamic Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...

design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design, it was used in railroad locomotives, telephones, toasters, buses, appliances, and other devices to give the impression of sleekness and modernity. In France, it was called the ''style paquebot'', or "ocean liner style", and was influenced by the design of the luxury ocean liner SS ''Normandie'', launched in 1932.

Influences and origins

As the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s progressed, Americans saw a new aspect of

, ''i.e.'', streamlining, a concept first conceived by

industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advance of the manufactu ...

ers who stripped Art Deco design of its ornament in favor of the aerodynamic pure-line concept of motion and speed developed from scientific thinking. The cylindrical forms and long horizontal windowing in architecture may also have been influenced by constructivism, and by the New Objectivity artists, a movement connected to the German Werkbund. Examples of this style include the 1923 Mossehaus, the reconstruction of the corner of a Berlin office building in 1923 by

Erich Mendelsohn Erich Mendelsohn (21 March 1887 – 15 September 1953) was a German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic Functionalism (architecture), functionalism in his projects for department ...

and

Richard Neutra Richard Joseph Neutra ( ; April 8, 1892 – April 16, 1970) was an Austrian-American architect. Living and building for the majority of his career in Southern California, he came to be considered a prominent and important modernist architect. H ...

. The Streamline Moderne was sometimes a reflection of austere economic times; sharp angles were replaced with simple, aerodynamic curves, and ornament was replaced with smooth

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

and

glass Glass is a non- crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenchin ...

. The style was the first to incorporate electric light into architectural structure. In the first-class dining room of the SS ''Normandie'', fitted out 1933–35, twelve tall pillars of Lalique glass, and 38 columns lit from within illuminated the room. The Strand Palace Hotel foyer (1930), preserved from demolition by the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

during 1969, was one of the first uses of internally lit architectural glass, and coincidentally was the first Moderne interior preserved in a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

Architecture

Streamline Moderne appeared most often in buildings related to transportation and movement, such as bus and train stations, airport terminals, roadside cafes, and port buildings. It had characteristics common with

modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

, including a horizontal orientation, rounded corners, the use of glass brick walls or porthole windows, flat roofs, chrome-plated hardware, and horizontal grooves or lines in the walls. They were frequently white or in subdued pastel colors. An example of this style is the Aquatic Park Bathhouse in the Aquatic Park Historic District, in San Francisco. Built beginning in 1936 by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

, it features the distinctive horizontal lines, classic rounded corners railing and windows of the style, resembling the elements of ship. The interior preserves much of the original decoration and detail, including murals by artist and color theoretician Hilaire Hiler. The architects were William Mooser Jr. and William Mooser III. It is now the administrative center of Aquatic Park Historic District. The Normandie Hotel in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the ...

, which opened during 1942, is built in the stylized shape of the ocean liner SS ''Normandie'', and displays the ship's original sign. The Sterling Streamliner Diners in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

were

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a co ...

s designed like streamlined trains. Although Streamline Moderne houses are less common than streamline commercial buildings, residences do exist. The Lydecker House in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, built by Howard Lydecker, is an example of Streamline Moderne design in residential architecture. In tract development, elements of the style were sometimes used as a variation in postwar row housing in San Francisco's Sunset District. File:SFMaritimeMuseum.jpg, Aquatic Park Bathhouse, now part of the Aquatic Park Historic District San Francisco (1936) File:Coca-Cola Building Los Angeles.jpg, Coca-Cola factory, Los Angeles by Robert V. Derrah (1936) File:East Finchley Station - geograph.org.uk - 909900.jpg, East Finchley Tube station, London (1937) File:Hecht warehouse washington dc.jpg, Hecht Company Warehouse in northeast Washington, D.C. (1937) File:Pan-Pacific Auditorium entrance.jpg, Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, California (1935–1989) File:LaGuardia MarineAirTerminal 1974.jpg,

Marine Air Terminal The Marine Air Terminal (also known as Terminal A) is an airport terminal located at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York City. Its main building, designed in the Art Deco style by William Delano of the firm Delano & Aldrich, opened in 1940. Th ...

of LaGuardia Airport, New York (1939) File:Hotel Shangri-La Santa Monica.jpg, Hotel Shangri-La (1939), Santa Monica, California File:Greyhound Station Columbia SC LOC 570829cu.jpg, Greyhound Bus Station, Columbia, South Carolina (1936–1939) File:Union Pacific Station, Las Vegas, Nevada (74656).jpg, The

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

station (mid-1930s, demolished 1971) File:First Church of Deliverance 2.jpg, Streamline Moderne church,

First Church of Deliverance First Church of Deliverance is a landmark Spiritual church located at 4315 South Wabash Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. First Church of Deliverance was founded by Reverend Clarence H. Cobbs on May 8, 1929. The church began wi ...

, Chicago, Illinois (1939), by Walter T. Bailey. Towers added 1948. File:Studio of National Broadcasting System, at night, Radio City, Hollywood, Calif (67295).jpg, Night image, NBC Hollywood Studios (also known as "Radio City Hollywood") at

Sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spr ...

and

Vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

(1938)

"Paquebot" style

In France, the style was called ''Paquebot'', meaning

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

. The French version was inspired by the launch of the ocean liner '' Normandie'' in 1935, which featured an Art Deco dining room with columns of Lalique crystal. Buildings using variants of the style appeared in Belgium and in Paris, notably in a building at 3 boulevard Victor in the 15th arrondissement, by the architect

Pierre Patout Pierre Patout (1879-1965) was a French architect and interior designer, who was one of the major figures of the Art Deco movement, as well as a pioneer of Streamline Moderne design. His works included the design of the main entrance and the Pavil ...

. He was one of the founders of the Art Deco style. He designed the entrance to the Pavilion of a Collector at the 1925 Exposition of Decorative Arts, the birthplace of the style. He was also the designer of the interiors of three ocean liners, the '' Ile-de-France'' (1926), the ''

L'Atlantique SS ''L'Atlantique'' was a French ocean liner owned by the Compagnie de Navigation Sud Atlantique, a subsidiary of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT). When completed in 1931 she was the largest, swiftest and most luxurious ocean line ...

'' (1930), and the '' Normandie'' (1935). Patout's building on Avenue Victor lacked the curving lines of the American version of the style, but it had a narrow "bow" at one end, where the site was narrow, long balconies like the decks of a ship, and a row of projections like smokestacks on the roof. Another 1935 Paris apartment building at 1 Avenue Paul-Daumier in the 16th arrondissement had a series of terraces modelled after the decks of an ocean liner. The

Flagey Building The Flagey Building (french: Bâtiment Flagey, nl, Flageygebouw) also known as Radio House (french: Maison de la Radio, nl, Radiohuis) is a building located in Ixelles, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium, housing the Flagey cultural centre. ...

was built on the

Place Flagey Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Oft ...

Ixelles (French, ) or ( Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the munic ...

(

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

), Belgium, in 1938, in the ''paquebot'' style, and has been nicknamed "Packet Boat" or "paquebot". It was designed by , and selected as the winning design in an architectural competition to create a building to house the former headquarters of the Belgian National Institute of Radio Broadcasting (INR/NIR). The building was extensively renovated, and in 2002, it reopened as a

cultural centre A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Asia * Ce ...

known as Le Flagey. File:SS Normandie (ship, 1935) interior.jpg, Main dining room of the ocean liner S.S. ''Normandie'' by Pierre Patout (1935) File:Immeuble de Pierre Patout Bd Victor Paris XV.jpg, ''Paquebot'' building at 3 boulevard Victor, 15th arrondissement, Paris by Patout (1935) File:Ancien Institut national de Radiodiffusion - vue d'ensemble.JPG,

(or ''Maison de la Radio''),

(

), Belgium (1938)

Automobiles

The defining event for streamline moderne design in the United States was the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair, which introduced the style to the general public. The new automobiles adapted the smooth lines of ocean liners and airships, giving the impression of efficiency, dynamism, and speed. The grills and windshields tilted backwards, cars sat lower and wider, and they featured smooth curves and horizontal speed lines. Examples include the 1934

Chrysler Airflow The Chrysler Airflow is a full-size car produced by Chrysler from 1934 to 1937. The Airflow was the first full-size American production car to use streamlining as a basis for building a sleeker automobile, one less susceptible to air resistance ...

and the 1934 Studebaker Land Cruiser. The cars also featured new materials, including

bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...

plastic,

formica ''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. ''Formica'' is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus ' ...

, Vitrolight opaque glass,

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's r ...

, and enamel, which gave the appearance of newness and sleekness. Other later examples include the 1950

Nash Ambassador The Nash Ambassador is a luxury automobile that was produced by Nash Motors from 1927 until 1957. For the first five years it was a top trim level, then from 1932 on a standalone model. Ambassadors were lavishly equipped and beautifully construc ...

"Airflyte" sedan with its distinctive low fender lines, as well as Hudson's postwar cars, such as the Commodore, that "were distinctive streamliners—ponderous, massive automobiles with a style all their own". File:Rumpler (31713119053).jpg, The Rumpler Tropfenwagen (1921) was designed by Edmund Rumpler, who was initially an aircraft designer File:Sportovní vůz Supersport.gif, The 1931 WIKOV Supersport, Prostějov

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...

was one of the first produced truly aerodynamically designed automobiles. File:Tatra 77A dutch licence registration AM-44-01 pic10.JPG, The 1934 Tatra 77 was one of the first serial-produced truly aerodynamically designed automobiles. File:1934ChryslerAirflow.jpg, 1934

File:1934 Studebaker Commander Land Cruiser Sedan (4000265550).jpg, Studebaker Land Cruiser (1934) Stout Scarab 2.jpg,

Stout Scarab The Stout Scarab is a streamlined 1930–1940s American car, designed by William Bushnell Stout and manufactured by Stout Engineering Laboratories and later by Stout Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. The Stout Scarab is credited by ...

(1935) on display at Houston Fine Arts Museum Bugatti Aérolithe AV.jpg,

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars ...

Aérolithe (1936) Cord 812 1937.jpg, 1937 Cord Automobile 1938 Talbot Teardrop SS 150 (7412440580).jpg, Talbot Teardrop SS 150 (1938) Schlörwagen without the Russian aircraft power unit.jpg, 1939

Schlörwagen The ''Schlörwagen'' (nicknamed "Göttingen Egg" or "Pillbug") was a prototype aerodynamic rear-engine passenger vehicle developed by Karl Schlör (1911–1997) and presented to the public at the 1939 Berlin Auto Show. It never went into producti ...

- Subsequent wind tunnel tests yielded a drag coefficient of 0.113 File:1939 Dodge TE32 table top (6333330869).jpg, 1939 Dodge 'Job Rated' streamline model truck File:1946 Chevrolet DP ½-ton truck, front left.jpg, 1946 Chevrolet DP ½-ton 'Art Deco' pickup File:T603 MockUp.jpg, 1955 Tatra603 The last prototype in Kopřivnice

Planes, boats and trains

Streamlining became a widespread design practice for aircraft, railroad locomotives, and ships. File:Boeing, 247.jpg,

Boeing 247 The Boeing Model 247 is an early United States airliner, and one of the first such aircraft to incorporate advances such as all-metal ( anodized aluminum) semimonocoque construction, a fully cantilevered wing, and retractable landing gear.

airliner (1933) File:DC3UnitedLndgOak (4476848126).jpg,

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper versi ...

airliner (1935) File:Lockheed_L-749A_PH-TDK_KLM_RWY_07.07.53_edited-2.jpg,

Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first pressurized-cabin civil airliner series to go into widespread use. Its press ...

airliner (1943) File:Kalakala.jpg, MV ''Kalakala'', the first streamlined ferry boat (1935) Fliegender Hamburger 01.JPG, Hamburg Flyer (1932) File:NS DE III in het grijs te Utrecht CS.jpg, ''Diesel III'',

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(1934) File:Dampflokomotive der Baureihe 05 Der neue Brockhaus 1938.jpg,

DRG Class 05 The Deutsche Reichsbahn's Class 05 was a German class of three express passenger steam locomotives of 4-6-4 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 2′C2′ h3 in the UIC notation used in continental Europe. They were part of the DRG' ...

(1935), world speed record for steam locomotives in 1936 File:Cleveland Mercury ticket New York Central 1938.JPG, Mercury locomotive designed by

Henry Dreyfuss Henry Dreyfuss (March 2, 1904 – October 5, 1972) was an American industrial design pioneer. Dreyfuss is known for designing some of the most iconic devices found in American homes and offices throughout the twentieth century, including the We ...

(1936) File:6229 Duchess of Hamilton at the National Railway Museum.jpg, Duchess of Hamilton locomotive (1938) File:PCC-Chicago-4.jpg, Chicago

PCC car The PCC (Presidents' Conference Committee) is a streetcar (tram) design that was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II it was licensed for use elsewhere in the ...

File:M 290.002 Slovenská strela, Žleby zastávka – Žleby 02.jpg, 1936 M 290.0 Slovenská Strela speed train, Czechoslovakia. Slovenská strela was manufactured by Tatra Kopřivnice in

in 1936 for Czechoslovak State Railways.

Industrial design

Streamline style can be contrasted with functionalism, which was a leading design style in Europe at the same time. One reason for the simple designs in functionalism was to lower the production costs of the items, making them affordable to the large European working class. Streamlining and functionalism represent two different schools in modernistic

. File:Ericsson bakelittelefon 1931.jpg, The first

telephone (1931) File:Philips 930.jpg, Philips Art Deco radio set (1931) File:Lurelle Guild. Vacuum Cleaner, ca. 1937..jpg, Electrolux Vacuum cleaner (1937) File:Toaster1.jpg, Streamlined toaster File:Crosley radio.jpg, Streamlined

Bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...

radio (1952)

Other notable examples

* 1923 Mossehaus, Berlin. Reconstruction by

and

* 1926: Long Beach Airport Main Terminal,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

* 1928: Lockheed Vega, designed by John Knudsen Northrop, a six-passenger, single-engine aircraft used by

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

* 1928: Doctor's Building in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

, Ukraine * 1928–1930:

Canada Permanent Trust Building Built in 1931 and formerly known as the Canada Permanent Trust Building in Toronto, 320 Bay Street was designed by the architect Henry Sproatt. It is an 18-storey office building located in the heart of downtown Toronto. Menkes Developments Lt ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

* 1930: Strand Palace Hotel, London; foyer designed by

Oliver Percy Bernard Oliver Percy Bernard OBE MC (8 April 1881 – 15 April 1939) was an English architect, and scenic, graphic and industrial designer. He was instrumental in developing conservative Victorian British taste in a modernist European direction; muc ...

* 1930–1934: Broadway Mansions, Shanghai, designed by B. Flazer of Palmer and Turner * 1931: The Eaton's Seventh Floor in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, designed by

Jacques Carlu Jacques Carlu (7 April 1890 Bonnières-sur-Seine – 3 December 1976 Paris) was a French architect and designer, working mostly in Art Deco style, active in France, Canada, and in the United States. Biography Through the 1910s Carlu studied on ...

, in the former

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...

department store * 1931:

Napier, New Zealand Napier ( ; mi, Ahuriri) is a city on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Hawke's Bay region. It is a beachside city with a seaport, known for its sunny climate, esplanade lined with Norfolk Pines and exte ...

, rebuilt in Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles after a major earthquake * 1931–1932: ''Plärrer Automat'', Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany by later Nazi-collaborate architect Walter Brugmann * 1931–1933:

Hamilton GO Centre Hamilton GO Centre is a commuter rail station and bus terminal in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. As the terminal stop for evening rush-hour Lakeshore West line trains, it is a major hub for GO Transit bus and train services. History Hami ...

, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada by

Alfred T. Fellheimer Alfred T. Fellheimer (March 9, 1875 – 1959) was an American architect. He began his career with Reed & Stem, where he was lead architect for Grand Central Terminal. Beginning in 1928, his firm Fellheimer & Wagner designed Cincinnati Union ...

* 1931–1944: Serralves House, Porto, Portugal, designed by José Marques da Silva * 1932: Edifício Columbus, São Paulo, Brazil (demolished 1971) * 1932: Arnos Grove Tube Station, London, England, designed by Charles Holden * 1933: Casa della Gioventù del Littorio,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, designed by

Luigi Moretti Luigi Walter Moretti (2 January 1907 – 14 July 1973) was an Italian architect. Active especially in Italy since the thirties, he designed buildings such as the Watergate Complex in Washington DC, The Academy of Fencing, and ''Il Girasole'' (" ...

* 1933: ''Ty Kodak'' building in

Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography Th ...

, France, designed by Olier Mordrel * 1933:

Southgate tube station Southgate is a London Underground Piccadilly line station in Southgate. It is located between Arnos Grove and Oakwood stations and is in Travelcard Zone 4. History Southgate station opened on 13 March 1933 with Oakwood on the second phase o ...

, London * 1933:

Burnham Beeches Burnham Beeches is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest situated west of Farnham Common in the village of Burnham, Buckinghamshire. The southern half is owned by the Corporation of London and is open to the public. It is also a Na ...

Sherbrooke, Victoria Sherbrooke is a settlement in Victoria, Australia, 35 km east of Melbourne, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Sherbrooke recorded a population of 294 at the . Permanent European settlement began with Robert W ...

, Australia. Harry Norris architect * 1933: Merle Norman Building,

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

''See also

History of Santa Monica, California The history of Santa Monica, California, covers the significant events and movements in Santa Monica's past. Population by decade * 1880 – 417 * 1890 – 1,580 * 1900 – 3,057 * 1910 – 7,847 * 1920 – 15,252 * 1930 – 37,146 * 1940 � ...

'' * 1933: Midland Hotel, Morecambe, England * 1933: Edificio Lapido, Montevideo, Uruguay * 1933–1940: Interior of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

's Museum of Science and Industry, designed by Alfred Shaw * 1934: Pioneer Zephyr, the first of Edward G. Budd's streamlined stainless-steel locomotives * 1934: Tatra 77, the first mass-market streamline automotive design * 1934:

, the second mass-market streamline automotive design * 1934: Hotel Shangri-La in

* 1934: Edifício Nicolau Schiesser, São Paulo, Brazil (demolished 2014) * 1935: Ford Building in Balboa Park, San Diego, California * 1935: The De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, England * 1935: Pan-Pacific Auditorium, Los Angeles * 1935: Edificio Internacional de Capitalización, Mexico City, Mexico * 1935: The Hindenburg,

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

passenger accommodations * 1935: The interior of Lansdowne House on

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...

in Mayfair, London * 1935: The Hamilton Hydro-Electric System Building,

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of ...

, Canada * 1935: MV ''Kalakala'', the world's first streamlined ferry * 1935: Technologist's Building in

, Ukraine * 1935–1938: Former Belgian National Institute of Radio Broadcasting (known as the ''Maison de la Radio'') on Eugène Flagey Square in

(

), by Joseph Diongre * 1935–1956: High Tower Court,

Hollywood Heights, Los Angeles Hollywood Heights is a neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, bounded by the Hollywood Bowl on the north, Highland Avenue on the east, Outpost Estates on the west, and Franklin Avenue on the south. It includes a number of notable his ...

* 1936:

Lasipalatsi Lasipalatsi ( sv, Glaspalatset; meaning literally "glass palace") is a functionalist office building designed in the 1930s, located on Mannerheimintie in the Kamppi district of Helsinki, Finland. Lasipalatsi is one of Helsinki's most notable funct ...

, in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, Finland, functionalist office building and now a cultural and media center * 1936:

Florin Court Florin Court is an Art Deco / Streamline Moderne residential building on the eastern side of Charterhouse Square in Smithfield, London. History Built in 1936 by Guy Morgan and Partners who worked until 1927 for Edwin Lutyens, and two years e ...

, on

Charterhouse Square Charterhouse Square is a garden square, a pentagonal space, in Farringdon, in the London Borough of Islington, and close to the former Smithfield Meat Market. The square is the largest courtyard or yard associated with the London Charterhous ...

in London, built by Guy Morgan and Partners * 1936: Campana Factory, historic factory in

Batavia, Illinois Batavia () is a city mainly in Kane County and partly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, it was founded in 1833 and is the oldest city in Kane County. Per the 2020 census, the populati ...

* 1936: Edifício Guarani, São Paulo, Brazil * 1936: Nordic Theater,

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marque ...

* 1936: Alkira House, Melbourne * 1937: Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London * 1937:

Earl's Court tube station Earl's Court tube station is a Grade II listed London Underground station in Earl's Court, London, on the District and Piccadilly lines. It is an important interchange for both lines and is situated in both Travelcard Zone 1 and Zone 2. The sta ...

, London, facing the Earls Court Exhibition frontage * 1937:

Blytheville Greyhound Bus Station The Blytheville Greyhound Bus Station is located at 109 North 5th Street in Blytheville, Arkansas. It is a single-story island-type station in the Streamline Moderne architectural style, with rounded corners, and projecting canopies on either sid ...

in Blytheville, Arkansas * 1937:

Regent Court Regent Court is a block of flats in the Hillsborough district of Sheffield, England. It is located on Bradfield Road and is close to the Hillsborough shopping area and about half a mile from the Sheffield Wednesday football ground. The ...

, residential apartments on Bradfield Road, Hillsborough,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

* 1937: Malloch Building, residential apartments at 1360 Montgomery Street in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

* 1937:

B B Chemical Company The B B Chemical Company is an historic office and industrial building at 784 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was built in 1937 for the Boston Blacking Company, an adhesive manufacturer whose most famous brand name was ''Bostik' ...

, in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, built by Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott * 1937: Belgium Pavilion, at the Exposition Internationale,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

* 1937: TAV Studios ( Brenemen's

Restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

* 1937: Dudley Zoo, Dudley, UK * 1937: Hecht Company Warehouse in Washington, D.C. * 1937: Minerva (or Metro) Theatre and the Minerva Building,

Potts Point, New South Wales Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Pott ...

, [ustralia * 1937: Bather's Building in the Aquatic Park Historic District, now the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Maritime Museum * 1937: Barnum Hall (High School auditorium),

* 1937:

J.W. Knapp Company Building The J.W. Knapp Company Building is a historic five-story, Streamline Moderne building in Lansing, Michigan, United States. Designed by Orlie Munson of the Bowd–Munson Company, which also designed several other Art Deco landmarks in Lansing, ...

(department store)

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

* 1937: Wan Chai Market, Wan Chai, Hong Kong * 1937: River Oaks Shopping Center,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

* 1937: Toronto Stock Exchange Building, mix of

and Streamline Moderne * 1937: Pittsburgh Plate Glass Enamel Plant, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Alexander C. Eschweiler * 1937: Old Greyhound Bus Station (Jackson, Mississippi) * 1937: Gramercy Theatre, New York City * 1937:

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...

Maritime University in Poland, by Bohdan Damięcki * 1938: Esslinger Building in

San Juan Capistrano, California San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for " St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St ...

* 1938: Fife Ice Arena in

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011 ...

, United Kingdom * 1938: Mark Keppel High School, Alhambra, California * 1938: Greyhound Bus Terminal (Evansville, Indiana) * 1938: ''

20th Century Limited The ''20th Century Limited'' was an express passenger train on the New York Central Railroad (NYC) from 1902 to 1967. The train traveled between Grand Central Terminal in New York City and LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, Illinois, along ...

'',

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

* 1938: Jones Dog & Cat Hospital,

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages in ...

, by Wurdeman & Beckett (remodel of 1928 original construction) * 1938:

Greyhound Bus Depot (Columbia, South Carolina) The Greyhound Bus Depot is a former Greyhound Lines intercity bus station in Columbia, South Carolina. It is at 1200 Blanding Street in downtown Columbia. The depot was named to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 1989. Aft ...

* 1938:

Marine Court Marine Court is a Grade II listed Streamline Moderne (Art Deco) apartment block on the seafront of St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the town and borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. The block was built between 1936 and 1938 and was modelled ...

, St Leonards, East Sussex, England * 1939:

Bartlesville High School Bartlesville High School is a public high school located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Built in 1939, it was originally called College High School, and until 1950 housed a junior college as well as the high school. Its Streamline Moderne building ...

, Bartlesville, Oklahoma * 1939:

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

* 1939: Marine Air Terminal, LaGuardia Airport, New York City * 1939: Road Island Diner, Oakley, Utah * 1939: Albion Hotel, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida * 1939: New York World's Fair * 1939:

Boots Court Motel The Boots Motel, a historic U.S. Route 66 motor hotel in Carthage, Missouri, opened in 1939 as the Boots Court at 107 S. Garrison Avenue. It served travellers at the "crossroads of America" (US 66 and U.S. Route 71, the major roads of that era) ...

in Carthage, Missouri * 1939: Cardozo Hotel, Ocean Drive, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida * 1939: Daily Express Building, Manchester, England * 1939:

East Finchley tube station East Finchley is a London Underground station in East Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet, north London. The station is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern line, between Finchley Central and Highgate stations, and is in Trave ...

, London, England * 1939:

Appleby Lodge Appleby Lodge is a set of three-storey 1930s blocks of flats with eight entrance doors, opposite Platt Fields Park on Wilmslow Road in Rusholme, Manchester, England. The blocks are in a U-shape around a central garden. Overview The buildings ...

, Manchester, England * 1940: Gabel Kuro jukebox designed by Brooks Stevens * 1940:

Ann Arbor Bus Depot The Ann Arbor Bus Depot was an intercity bus station located at 116 W. Huron in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was built in 1940 as the Eastern Michigan Motorbus Terminal, and operated as a bus station until its demolition in 2014. It was designed by t ...

, Michigan * 1940: Jai Alai Building, Taft Avenue

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, Philippines (demolished 2000) * 1940:

Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...

, Los Angeles, California * 1940: Las Vegas Union Pacific Station, Las Vegas, Nevada * 1940: Rivoli Cinemas, 200 Camberwell Road

Hawthorn East, Melbourne Hawthorn East is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Hawthorn East recorded a population of 14,834 at the 2021 census. T ...

, Australia * 1940: Pacaembu Stadium, São Paulo, Brazil * 1941: Avalon Hotel, Ocean Drive, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida * 1942:

Coral Court Motel The Coral Court Motel was a 1941 U.S. Route 66 motel constructed in Marlborough, Missouri (a St. Louis suburb) and designated on the National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis County in 1989 as a valuable example of the art deco and streaml ...

Marlborough, Missouri Marlborough is a village in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,179 at the 2010 census. Geography Marlborough is located at (38.567202, -90.339194). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a tot ...

* 1942: Normandie Hotel in

* 1942: Mercantile National Bank Building in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

* 1942: Musick Memorial Radio Station in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, New Zealand * 1943: Edifício Trussardi in São Paulo, Brazil * 1944:

Huntridge Theater, Las Vegas, Nevada Huntridge Theater, sometimes known as the Huntridge Performing Arts Theater, is a Streamline Moderne building located in Las Vegas, Nevada, that is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. The building was designed by S. ...

* 1945: Muscats Motors, Gżira, Malta * 1945: Ressano Garcia Railway Station,

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

* 1946:

Gerry Building Gerry Building is a high-rise building in the Fashion District of Los Angeles. Built in 1947, the Streamline Moderne style building was added to the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is th ...

, Los Angeles, California * 1946: Canada Dry Bottling Plant,

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

* 1946: Broadway Theatre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada * 1949: Sault Memorial Gardens, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario * 1949: Beacon Lodge,

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

* 1951: Federal Reserve Bank Building, Seattle, Washington * 1954: Poitiers Theater designed by Edouard Lardillier * 1955: Eight Forty One (former Prudential Life Insurance Building),

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

, designed by

KBJ Architects KBJ Architects, Inc. (KBJ) is an American architectural firm based in Jacksonville, Florida. The firm designed 17 of the city's 30 tallest buildings and "created Jacksonville's modern skyline", according to '' The Florida Times-Union'' newspaper.Ke ...

* 1957: Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier ( Star Ferry Pier, Central),

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

(demolished 2006) * 1957: Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, Hong Kong * 1965:

Hung Hom Ferry Pier Hung Hom Ferry Pier () is a ferry pier in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is at the reclaimed Hung Hom Bay at the south of Lily Mansion (Phase 9), Whampoa Garden. History The original pier, opened in 1979 using Streamline Moderne design fr ...

, Hong Kong * 1968:

Wan Chai Pier The Wan Chai Pier (), or Wan Chai Ferry Pier (), is a pier at the coast of Wan Chai North on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. The pier is operated by Star Ferry, and provides ferry services to Tsim Sha Tsui. The pier is near the Hong Kong Conv ...

, Hong Kong (demolished 2014)

In motion pictures

*Tanks, aircraft and buildings in William Cameron Menzies's 1936 movie '' Things to Come'' *The buildings in

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

's 1937 movie ''

Lost Horizon ''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called '' Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...

'', designed by Stephen Goosson *The design of the "Emerald City" in the 1939 movie '' The Wizard of Oz'' *The main character's helmet and rocket pack in the 1991 movie ''The Rocketeer'' *The High Tower apartments, featured in the 1973 film '' The Long Goodbye'' and 1991 film ''

Dead Again ''Dead Again'' is a 1991 neo-noir romantic thriller film directed by Kenneth Branagh and written by Scott Frank. It stars Branagh and Emma Thompson, with Andy García, Derek Jacobi, Hanna Schygulla, Wayne Knight, and Robin Williams appearing i ...

'' *The Malloch Apartment Building at 1360 Montgomery St, San Francisco that serves as apartment for

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary ...

's character in ''Dark Passage''

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Streamline Moderne
Flickr
Streamline Moderne
Decopix *
Streamline Moderne & Nautical Moderne Architecture in Miami Beach
, ''Miami Beach Magazine'' *
San Francisco 1939 Modern 'Wedding Cake'
, HGTV.com {{Architecture in the United States Streamliners Streamline Moderne 20th-century architectural styles