1. Empire State Building, New York City
The Empire State Building is one of the most iconic Art Deco buildings in the world. Completed in 1931, it stands at 1,454 feet tall and was once the tallest building in the world. Its distinctive design features a setback tower with a spire top and an ornate lobby with colorful murals.
2. Rockefeller Center, New York City
The Rockefeller Center is a complex of Art Deco skyscrapers located in Midtown Manhattan. Built during the Great Depression between 1930 to 1939, it was intended to provide jobs and boost morale. It features bright murals, striking sculptures, and elaborate facades.
3. Ocean Drive Historic District, Miami Beach
The Ocean Drive Historic District is a collection of Miami Beach hotels built between 1923 to 1943. This neighborhood features pastel-colored buildings with intricate details such as ziggurat roofs, porthole windows, and neon signs that contribute to Miami’s overall Art Deco aesthetic.
4. Sunset Tower Hotel, Los Angeles
Sunset Tower Hotel is an Art Deco tower built in West Hollywood during Hollywood’s golden age in 1931 as apartments for LA’s elite residents such as Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. The building displays intricate metalwork on its balconies with voluptuous curves that encapsulate decorative motifs like sunrises or ocean waves.
5.Hotel Ukraina (Radisson Royal), Moscow
Built-in Stalinist Baroque style which moves away from traditional Russian architecture into more Western European aesthetics with Art Deco details. This iconic building was the tallest in Europe with 34 floors and completed in 1957.
6. The Hoover Building, London
The Hoover Building is an Art Deco landmark built in Perivale, West London, in 1932 to house one of the country’s largest vacuum cleaner factories. The building displays an innovative design that boasts linear mass production, a reinforced concrete frame, and a façade decorated with colorful faience tile designs.
7. Chrysler Building, New York City
The Chrysler Building is another iconic example of Art Deco architecture from the early 20th century. It was completed in 1930 and designed by William Van Alen for automotive tycoon Walter P. Chrysler to act as the headquarters of his car company. This jaw-dropping skyscraper features stainless steel spires and arches shaped like car grilles.
8. Carlton Hotel (Ritz-Carlton), Shanghai
Built-in eclectic Art Deco style during the Roaring Twenties by architect László Hudec for Sir Victor Sassoon and opened its doors at Nanking Road in 1934 as one of China’s most prestigious lodgings with its extravagant ballroom decorated entirely by Lalique crystal.
In conclusion, art deco buildings have left their unique mark on architectural history, creating some of the world’s most iconic structures that pushed design boundaries at their time. These buildings continue to inspire architects today to create contemporary versions of this timeless aesthetic that we all can love for centuries to come.