10 Cities Where Art Deco Architecture Reigns Supreme
At the start of the 1920s, a new architectural style called Art Deco was making a bold appearance in France. The elaborate aesthetic blended traditional motifs and Machine Age materials, its use of primary colors and geometric patterns making it instantly recognizable. Until the 1940s, the eclectic style continued its international conquest, defining the look of major buildings in cities across the globe. From Valencia, Spain to Melbourne, Australia, we’ve put together a list of some of the world’s greatest Art Deco destinations—must-visits for any design-loving traveler.
Courtesy Art Deco Trust1/10Napier, New Zealand
The self-proclaimed Art Deco Capital of the World, the New Zealand city was rebuilt after a 1931 earthquake with a dense concentration of Art Deco architecture, unique in the world with its addition of Maori motifs. Admire its 140-some Art Deco buildings clustered in the compact town center, such as the Egyptian-inspired Municipal Theatre, and the Temperance and General Insurance building, pictured here.
Christine Pemberton/Getty2/10Shanghai, China
Beyond the glitz of the skyscrapers and the traditional hutong architecture, Shanghai also has an impressive number of Art Deco buildings, notably the Cathay Mansions complex that stands as a testament to the exuberance of the Chinese city in the 1930s.
Mark Williamson/Getty3/10Mumbai, India
Shanghai isn’t the only Asian city with a significant Art Deco presence. Estimated by some to have the world’s largest number of Art Deco buildings after Miami, Mumbai boasts entire city blocks of Deco office buildings and rows of residences with uniquely Indian flourishes that came to be known as Deco Saracenic. Most of these homes are concentrated along Marine Drive in South Bombay—an incredible parade of hundreds of six-story apartment buildings.
Don Klumpp/Getty4/10Asheville, NC
The artsy enclave in the Blue Ridge Mountains harbors an impressive collection of Art Deco edifices, inadvertently preserved due to the 1929 economic crash—which left the city an untouched time capsule for decades. Check out the lavish city hall with pink and green octagonal roof, and next to it, in sharply masculine contrast, the Buncombe County Courthouse.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer’s Character-Filled Los Feliz Home
Courtesy Donald Davies, Committee Chairperson of the Durban Art Deco Society5/10Durban, South Africa
South Africa wasn’t immune to the Art Deco craze that swept the world. The country’s third largest city has a number of remnants, including the Colonial Mutual Building on West Street that contains what might be the only Art Deco antelopes in the world.
Julian Love/Getty6/10Casablanca, Morocco
At the other end of the African continent is Morocco’s industrial workhorse, where traditional local architecture met French Art Deco to give birth to a Moroccan style called Mauresque. Wrought-iron balconies and ornate staircases meet arabesque flourishes. Here’s looking at you, Casablanca.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer’s Character-Filled Los Feliz Home
7/10Melbourne, Australia
As a planned city, this hopping metropolis Down Under has an orderly collection of Art Deco gems, especially concentrated in the area bounded by La Trobe, Spencer, Flinders, and Spring Streets. The Cathedral Arcade, dating back to 1925, is an opulent monument decked out in lead lights and stained glass.
Courtesy Cincinnati Museum Center8/10Cincinnati, OH
Don’t let the Contemporary Arts Center by Zaha Hadid hog the spotlight. Cincinnati has an underrated Art Deco scene with landmarks like the 49-story Carew Tower and iconic Union Terminal.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer’s Character-Filled Los Feliz Home
Greg Elms/Getty9/10Valencia, Spain
Art Nouveau and Art Deco blend harmoniously in the Catalan city where locals continue to use time-honored edifices like the North Station and Rialto Theatre.
fraser band / Alamy10/10Perth, Australia
Australia's fourth-largest city is second to none when it comes to surprising Deco gems scattered around town. From a number of intimate theaters and cinemas (pictured) to the newly updated Raffles Hotel, these landmarks make Perth an unlikely but vibrant outpost of Deco architecture in Western Australia.
This piece originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveler.
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