One hundred years ago, on April 28, 1925, the Paris Expo (known to Francophiles as the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) launched the worldwide Art Deco movement, transforming fashion, jewelry, architecture, and much more.
New York caught the fever, perhaps more than any other city. Evidence remains to this day in the glorious architecture of buildings erected in the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s, before giving sway to the International style of architecture that arose concurrently.
To celebrate this centennial, the Art Deco Society of New York has been hosting spectacular events all month, for both members and the public alike.
It’s not too late (it’s never too late) to get your Art Deco on. Although the Art Deco Society’s “Springtime in New York Art Deco Centennial Weekend” four-day event is sold out, you can visit Art Deco gems and Jazz Age hotspots every day of the year. Perhaps while imbibing a Mimosa at your favorite brunch spot. This perennial favorite is said to have been created by a bartender at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1925.
If more adventurous cocktails are what you’re after, splash out at the Campbell Bar at Grand Central Terminal, the ornate, high-ceilinged offices of a 1920s mogul, the Jazz Age financier John W. Campbell. Or visit Bemelmans Bar, with its lovingly restored chocolate-brown leather banquettes, nickel-trimmed black glass tabletops, black granite bar, and 24-karat gold-leaf-covered ceiling. And, of course, the distinctive murals by Ludwig Bemelmans, the creator of the classic Madeline children’s books.
Visit the Art Deco website to see what’s on, and be sure to view their Art Deco Registry Map. Use it to plan a 20-minute stroll around your neighborhood, imbibing the intoxicating details of Art Deco. Be sure to look up, because this is often where beautiful Art Deco details wait to astound and reward the alert observer. I swear you will fall in love with New York all over again.
I wanted to join in the fun, and scouted a number of iconic Art Deco landmarks, before selecting one that might surprise you: the City of New York Greenwich Substation 235, at the corner of Greenwich Avenue and West 13th Street. You may have seen these magnificent structures and wondered what they are and what they do. Me too!
I have often walked past Substation 235 and been mystified. Did aliens from another time embed bas-relief Art Deco details into the giant aluminum doors? No, it was the Independent Subway System! The company built dozens of these substations to power the Eighth Avenue subway line (now the A, C, and E trains), which was built from 1932 to 1940. The substations converted high-voltage alternating current (AC) power to the lower-voltage direct current (DC) required to power the subway’s electric rails. But they did it in style, cladding the substations with limestone, chevron-patterned brick, and geometric designs. Harlem’s sister Substation 219 is on the National Register of Historic Places.
I strolled through my neighborhood one sunny morning to view Substation 235 and other Art Deco highlights and felt uplifted by the glory that’s been hiding in plain sight.
It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole into Wonderland once you start looking at the beauty of Art Deco architecture in NYC. If you enjoy the feeling of horizons expanding, you might wish to continue the celebration and preservation of New York’s Art Deco treasures by joining the Art Deco Society, your entrée to a continued immersion in this rich history.
Favorite Art Deco Book
The Technique of the Love Affair, by a Gentlewoman. In 1928, this practical guide to becoming a ruthless femme fatale was too scandalous for the author, Doris Langley Moore, to use her name.
Karen Rempel is a New York-based writer, model, and artist. Her Karen’s Quirky Style column illuminates quirky clothes and places in Manhattan. For past stories and more style details, see https://karenqs.nyc.