Because of its widespread popularity, each city developed their own unique take on the look. In America, the style’s roots can largely be traced to New York City. “Until this point, American architects really tended to design their buildings with one eye looking over their left shoulder at Europe,” Robins explains. After World War I ended, the United States entered into the Roaring Twenties, “and New York emerges as this image of the brash, modern metropolis of the New World,” Robins explains. Here, Art Deco blossomed into a building aesthetic that didn’t look to copy or revise, but rather create anew. “It becomes this symbol. We’re no longer looking into the European past. We are looking to the American present and future.” It’s at this point that architects begin designing many of the most famous Art Deco buildings, like The Chrysler Building, that redefined the midtown Manhattan skyline before the style started spreading to other building types.

What were the main influences on Art Deco?

Because Art Deco came about around the same time as other modernist aesthetics, these styles are often credited as influencing the emergency of Deco. Art Nouveau and Bahaus often come up in the conversation, as does Cubism and Fauvism. “When they’re happening, there aren’t such clean lines between these movements,” Robins adds. “That’s how historians look back on it and say, ‘Here’s my chapter on Art Nouveau, here’s my chapter on Art Deco, here’s my chapter on the Bauhaus.’ There’s a lot of mushing around.”

Defining elements and characteristics of Art Deco architecture

According to Robins, there are four main characteristics to know when studying Art Deco architecture.

What are the characteristics of Art Deco architecture?

Consider the following characteristics seen in Art Deco buildings:

Visible in the Round

Art Deco buildings are often visible from any angle. Instead of appearing two-dimensional—the way many buildings look when placed directly next to each other—art deco buildings consistently appear three-dimensional. “One way you do this is by building skyscrapers that tower over the neighbors, but they also did more than that.” Robins says. “Architects would chamfer the corners or curve the corners, they’d use setbacks and other designs to give the sense of three dimensions.”