Streamline Moderne

Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone, was a late branch of the Art Deco style. The style emphasized flowing forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements (such as railings and porthole windows). It reached its height in 1937.

The SS Normandie, launched in 1935, epitomized Moderne taste.

The style was the first to incorporate electric light into architectural structure. In the First Class dining room of the SS Normandie, fitted out 1933 – 35, twelve tall pillars of Lalique glass and 38 columns lit from within illuminated the room (illustration, right). The Strand Palace Hotel foyer (1930), preserved from demolition by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1969, marked one of the first uses of internally-lit architectural glass, and coincidentally was the first Moderne interior preserved in a museum.

The buildings in Frank Capra's 1937 movie Lost Horizon, designed by Stephen Goosson, exemplify the soothing style.

Notable examples of Streamline Moderne include:

Marine Air Terminal, LaGuardia Airport, 1939

1930 – Strand Palace Hotel, London. Foyer designed by Oliver P. Bernard
1933 – Merle Norman Building, Santa Monica, California See also History of Santa Monica, California
1934 – Chrysler Air-Flow, the first mass-market streamline automotive design
1935 – Pan Pacific Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
1935 – The Hindenburg, zeppelin passenger accommodations
1937 – Belgium Pavilion, at the Exposition Internationale, Paris
1937 – TAV Studios (Brenemen's Restaurant), Hollywood, California
1937 – Minerva (or Metro) Theatre and the Minerva Building, Potts Point, New South Wales
1937 – Barnum Hall (High School auditorium), Santa Monica, California
1939 Marine Air terminal, La Guardia Airport, New York (illustration, left)
1947 – Sears Building, Santa Monica, California