The Lafayette Hotel Long Beach  Photo by Louise Ivers 2006

Long Beach Art Deco 101


John Thomas 2006
Co-Author of Long Beach Art Deco

The term “Art Deco” designates a popular style during the 1920s and 30s, but was not actually coined until the late 1960s.

The 1925 Paris Exposition International des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes launched the new decorative elements in architecture. The discovery of King Tut’s Tomb in 1922 also opened the door for the use of bold colors, chevrons and zig-zags. The Art Deco style immediately appealed to designers in America in the “roaring 20s.” 

Today we see it as a symbol of decadence and extravagance, qualities their generation embraced. Architecture, jewelry, the movie industry and fashion were all heavily influenced by the “new” style.

Because of the unique factors that shaped the history of Long Beach, the city has many commercial buildings from the 1920s and 1930s.

The Zigzag Moderne was the style that grew out of the 1925 Paris Exposition and it can still be seen in buildings in downtown Long Beach. Large or small, many of the buildings have decorative towers and setbacks, ornamented with motifs and reliefs of the period. 

Another factor that shaped Long Beach architecture was the 1933 earthquake. The  Streamline Moderne of the 30s featured sleekly simplified lines and nautical styling influenced by steamships.

Many buildings in our city once had Streamlined Moderne façades added to their brick walls after the earthquake. In many cases, only the front of the building crumbled when the earthquake hit, leaving the sides and rear intact and the façade ripe for “modernization.”
Photo by Louise Ivers
Krempel and Erkes Bank of Italy Building, Long Beach 1930. 
 

Images of America : Long Beach Art Deco
by Suzanne Tarbell Cooper, John Thomas,  J. Christopher Launi

Chicago : Arcadia Pub., c2006.
ISBN: 0738546704 Series: Images of America  (Available at the Long Beach Library)

Description: 127 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Contents: Commercial buildings -- Residential -- Entertainment -- Theatres -- Public Buildings -- Schools -- Preservation in Long Beach.

Summary: Art Deco made its formal appearance in Paris at the 1925 L'Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a showcase for art, architecture, and design that promoted progress, modernity, and the present. The greatest export from this exhibition was a style that has since been recognized as one of the great design movements of the 20th century. Because of the unique factors that shaped the history of Long Beach, the city has many commercial buildings from the 1920s and 1930s. Long Beach architecture was also shaped by the earthquake of 1933. The Art Deco style, in addition to being fashionably modern in 1933, met the criteria of earthquake safety, and many new structures showed its influence. The authors used the archives of the Long Beach Library, the Long Beach Historical Society, and Long Beach Heritage as well as an extensive collection of architectural photographs from J. Christopher Launi.  Added Authors: Thomas, John W. and Launi, J. Christopher.