Riga
under construction
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Riga Latvia
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Thunder
Bay
The Royal Edward Hotel
in Thunder Bay, now apartments, was one of the first "skyscrapers"
in the area, preceding the steel and glass office buildings
of the International Style some 30 years later. The building,
designed by Dorr and Dorr in 1928, is constructed of reinforced
concrete.
Like many of the earlier
multi-storey buildings, the windows are relatively small
considering the full surface of the wall, and the ornament,
in this case Art Deco, is found accentuating the vertical areas
between the windows and on the
parapet. The windows are simple and unadorned. Instead there
is a repeated geometric pattern on the first set of windows
above the band.
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Thunder Bay Ontario
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Thunder Bay
Art Deco
is largely concerned with craftsmanship as can be seen in this
detail of the Royal Edward Hotel (above). The
parapet is an ornate, stylized adaptation of vertical
"finial-like" forms.
The upper windows are discrete
four over four sash with subtle sills
and a contrasting frame colour. The lower street level windows
have a flat arched surround. The exterior
finish has discrete horizontal banding
on a smooth surface. There is no attempt to imitate any
Classical detailing or motifs
on this facade.
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Thunder Bay Ontario
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Brantford
This glazed terra-cotta building
in Brantford shows the integration of Art Deco stylization with
Classical motifs. The top is an overhanging entablature
with a simple band and two plain roundels,
much in the style of the American architect Raymond Hood. Holding
this up are three sensual, bare-breasted caryatids
supporting capitals with the roundel
motif. The second floor windows have, obviously, been replaced
by large, flat windows, but the spandrel
above them is filled with five glazed terra-cottavoussoirs
.
The caryatids ornament three
pilasters that separate the two
bays of the building. Along the bases are carved ornaments with
stylized volutes. The building shows
the point where Beaux-Arts style
ends and Art Deco begins.
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Brantford Ontario
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Kitchener
Art deco is nothing if not theatrical.
This stylized poured concrete door
surround gives the impression of a stage set. The outside
is squared at the front and then later rounded as the illusion
of a long passageway recedes using perspective to give the impression
of distance. Symmetrical receding abstract planes and aerodynamic
streamlining are typical of later Art Deco and Art Moderne details.
The interior arch or intrados
of the surround is much more ornate and almost oriental in its
character. The door itself is unadorned.
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Kitchener Ontario
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Hamilton
Art deco is nothing if not theatrical.
This stylized poured concrete door
surround gives the impression of a stage set. The outside
is squared at the front and then later rounded as the illusion
of a long passageway recedes using perspective to give the impression
of distance. Symmetrical receding abstract planes and aerodynamic
streamlining are typical of later Art Deco and Art Moderne details.
The interior arch or intrados
of the surround is much more ornate and almost oriental in its
character. The door itself is unadorned.
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Hamilton Ontario
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Queen
Street
Art deco is nothing if not theatrical.
This stylized poured concrete door
surround gives the impression of a stage set. The outside
is squared at the front and then later rounded as the illusion
of a long passageway recedes using perspective to give the impression
of distance. Symmetrical receding abstract planes and aerodynamic
streamlining are typical of later Art Deco and Art Moderne details.
The interior arch or intrados
of the surround is much more ornate and almost oriental in its
character. The door itself is unadorned.
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Kitchener Ontario
|
Kitchener
Art deco is nothing if not theatrical.
This stylized poured concrete door
surround gives the impression of a stage set. The outside
is squared at the front and then later rounded as the illusion
of a long passageway recedes using perspective to give the impression
of distance. Symmetrical receding abstract planes and aerodynamic
streamlining are typical of later Art Deco and Art Moderne details.
The interior arch or intrados
of the surround is much more ornate and almost oriental in its
character. The door itself is unadorned.
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Kitchener Ontario
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Hamilton
This detail from the Hamilton
Post Office, 1929, shows an earlier and more ornate form of
Art Deco. The band across the top of
the window is a stylized guilloche;
the interweaving ribbons become a squared geometric pattern.
The central spandrel, like the mullions,
is wrought iron with an intricate stylized acanthus
in a vase with a flowery background. The mullions are simply
geometric patterns.
The reveals on the window,
like the lintel band, are poured concrete
with alternating floral reliefs.
Like many Art Deco buildings, the plan and outline
of the building are unremarkable, a cubic shape on the corner
of a city block. The beauty of these buildings is in the window
and door detailing.
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Hamilton Ontario
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Hamilton
Like the
above example, these two reliefs in Hamilton reflect the Art
Deco spirit. The above are largely floral. These, found on the
old train station, now the Liuna Reception Hall, reflect the
style's obsession with travel and speed. On the left is a stylized
steam engine and on the right is an automobile. This building
was featured in "Long Kiss Goodnight" among other
films.
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Hamilton Ontario
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Hamilton
Art Deco often uses stylized
adaptations of previous periods or styles. This apartm
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Hamilton Ontario
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Toronto
Art Deco often uses stylized
adaptation
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Hamilton Ontario
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Hamilton
Car
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Hamilton Ontario
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Toronto
Art Deco often uses stylized
adaptations of previous periods or styles. This apartment block
is a version of Romanesque.
The door surround has a streamlined receding arch motif found
in many Italian 12th to 14th century churches. The columns
flanking the door are simple; the capitals
are replaced by lanterns. On either side of the door is dichromatic
brickwork also found in the Romanesque and Venetian
Gothic periods.
Above the door the architrave
displays the building's street number. The top of the entrance
is a ziggurat shape with horizontal
bands emphasizing the receding planes.
The window sills have been incorporated
into the horizontal banding.
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Toronto Ontario
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Toronto
Within a quiet, conservative
neighbourhood of Period Revivals and Georgian homes, this stylish
Art Deco mansion provides a daring contrast. It was built for
the Group of Seven painter Lawren Harris in 1930 after a trip
to Germany where he was introduced to modern house design. The
architect, Alexandra Biriukova, was a Russian émigré,
who had a small but brilliant career.
Art Deco was reknowned for decorative
floral motifs. On the two storey central window, the metal grille
is stylized pine needles, reflecting Harris's love for the Canadian
north.
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Toronto Ontario
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Toronto
The stylized griffins atop fluted
pilasters are the first suggestion that this is an Art Deco
building. A close look at the swirling floriated metal decoration
confirms it. The top ornament may be new, or replaced after
years of being in storage. It was not part of the façade
in 1970.
The patterned metal is indicative
of the early period of Art Deco, often called
Art Nouveau. The windows above this patterning are plain
metal muntins set within very ornate metal mullions. This addition
is more late Deco/early Moderne. Like most urban Deco buildings,
this has a flat roof with no cornice or overhang.
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Toronto Ontario
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Hamilton
A similar but more modest house
can be found in Hamilton Ontario. The bright and charming owners
of this house saw the potential and, instead of erecting some
hideous beige monstrosity, decided to restore it.
Once the plaster was cleaned,
the small bits of ground quartz were revealed. The surface absolutely
glitters in direct sunshine.
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Hamilton Ontario
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Hamilton
Like many such houses, this
one was left to decay after the 1950s.
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Hamilton Ontario
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Hamilton
These windows are an indication
of the understated design statement. As always, the proportions
are the important part. You would not be able to find windows
like this today. If you replaced them with vinyl, the vinyl
ones last 20 years and then would need to be replaced by something
else that would probably be even worse.
The owner of this house, again
knowing what he was doing, hired Andrew Skuce of Paradigm Shift
Heritage Restoration in Paris to take these beauties back to
their original glory.
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Hamilton Ontario
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Hamilton
These are the original windows
shown above.
When Drew got hold of these windows
they were fixed up with "a sheet of plywood filled with
concrete, Kleenex, plumbers putty, nails, caulking, 11 layers
of paint with a carpenter ant nest living in it." Now they
are stunning.
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Hamilton Ontario
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Hamilton
This page will be updated in
June after the owner has restored the surface of the patio.
The railing has already been restored.
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Hamilton Ontario
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Toronto
Art Deco was largely concerned
with excellent craftsmanship. Designers used a variety of traditional
motifs and images and stylized them for "modern" use.
In the Canada Permanent building in Toronto, a mixture of floral
and water motifs is used to provide interest in spandrels,
architraves, and other traditional
venues.
The doorway
is a barrel vault. The door itself
is highly ornate gold finished metal. The pilasters
flanking the door are fluted, but there
is no capital, only a large cornice.
Dentil blocks run along the base of
the cornice. The agraffe has fish
scales similar to those on the upper spandrel. The top ornaments
are cockle shells, a Rococo flourish, with ornate
volutes around a stylized acanthus.
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Toronto Ontario
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Toronto
This detail shows the fine stone
carving in the detailing of the Canada Permanent building.
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Toronto Ontario
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Toronto
This fabulous aedicula is the
entrance to the main business area of the Canada Permanent.
The central decorative urn is flanked by two scrolls, all carved
in granite.
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Toronto Ontario
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Toronto
Here a Dicletian window has an
ornate agraffe as keystone.
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Toronto Ontario
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Toronto
As well as intricate carvings,
Art Deco brought decorative paintings and frescoes.
This incredible ceiling fresco
shows a Victory figure surrounded by a stylised guilloche.
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Toronto Ontario
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Toronto
This lovely Art Deco sceen is
found in a house in Toronto.
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Toronto Ontario
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Simcoe
This large Art Deco factory
in Simcoe has the same general appearance as the very famous
Hoover building in London England.
The Hoover building was in a state of disrepair when it
was bought by the Tesco Food group and renovated for use as
a retail outlet. This building was once slated for condominiums
by very bright, forward thinking developers. Unfortunately the
project is on hold for the moment, but the idea is certainly
a good one.
The building is a stark white
with green metal windows and window panes. Engaged pilasters
with pointed finials form the basis
for the design; corner piers are similarly styled.
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Simcoe Ontario
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Ottawa
In contrast to the Royal Edward, above, this is
a stylized Art Deco version of a Classical Greek
entrance. The door is flanked by two pairs of engaged
pilasters. The capitals are adorned
with three overlaid circles. The cincture
and abacus are reproduced as horizontal
bands.
Above the columns is
an abstracted Greek entablature in alternating plain and fluted
bands. The architrave is in five
centered blocks. The pediment form
is squared; a light takes the place of decoration in the tympanum.
On large buildings, Art Deco stylization is often
found in the door moldings. Often
a traditional treatment is studied and then refashioned into
Art Deco.
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Ottawa Ontario
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Art Deco Extra
Reading
Books
Blumenson, John. Ontario
Architecture A Guide to Styles and Terms.
1978
Boorstin, Daniel,
The Creators, Random
House, New York, 1992
Morawetz,
Tim, Art
Deco Architecture in Toronto: A guide to the city's buildings
from the Roaring Twenties and the Depression,
, Self published, see link, 2009
Pendergrast, Mark
. Mirror
Mirror, A History of the Human Love Affair with Reflection.
Basic Books, New York, 2003
For
information on Art Deco architecture in specific areas within
Ontario there are some very good books listed under the
About page.
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Films
The Thin Man -
Myrna Loy
Poirot
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