This past Sunday afternoon a friend and I attended a lecture at
the Smithsonian’s Renwick Art Gallery led by
Linda Lyons, architectural historian and chair of the Art Deco Society of
Washington, who shared an extensive collection of slides showcasing deco designs throughout the region. Lyons run
occasional tours on art deco architecture in MD/VA/DC and is the author of the Society’s Metro Deco Guide to
art in the Washington area.
Although I knew that certain art deco designs are dominated by travel-inspired themes, I learned more about the
connection between the two from Lyons presentation. She shared photos of building facades adorned with Egyptian
ziggurat shapes and Aztec motifs, symbolizing the lure of the exotic, and explained how the rise of modern
transportation during the early 20th century made fantasizing about these faraway places a reality. Nautical porthole
windows, glass block and streamlined horizontal and vertical building design details all signaled a new era for speed,
motion and travel.
Unfortunately, Lyons does not yet have any new tour dates scheduled, but did say that there will be one of the famous
Kennedy-Warren building in January 2006. Other bus and walking tours cover
commercial buildings (like the landmark Greyhound
Bus Terminal), municipal government buildings, cinemas (like the recently restored
Silver Theater) and residential
apartment buildings. Here is an example of a tour done
earlier this year. Contact the society directly to get further
info.
(Special thanks to Becky for discovering this urban art adventure with me!)