art nouveau, art deco, pre war ,prairie ,contemporary style of architecture design history

1. Architectural Style
20th Century Pre-War Style
Contemporary Style
Art Nouveau Style
Art Deco Style
Prairie Style By ,
Harshita Gupta
12
SushilKumar Gupta 13

2. 20’s Pre-War Style
These Homes May Be Old, But They're Full
Of Spunk And Charisma.

3. History
• Pre-war Architecture Refers To Buildings Built In The
Period Between The Turn Of The 20th Century Until The
Second World War. I.E. Homes Built Between 1890 And
1940 .
• At The Time, Houses Started Changing, Shifting From
Functional Farmhouses And Victorian Mansions, To A
Happy Medium Of Two-storied Houses And A Basement.
• More People Were Leaving Farms And Small Towns To
Move To Bigger Towns And Cities, And The Housing
Industry, From Construction Companies To Real Estate
Agents, Started To Come More Into Vogue.
• Many Mid- And High-rise Apartment Buildings Which
Were Built After 1900 And Before 1940 In New York And
Surrounding Areas Are Considered "Pre-war" And Known
For Their Spaciousness, Hardwood Flooring, Detailing,
And, In Some Cases, Fireplaces, Apartments. 19th-century City Square, Berlin

4. History
• The Homes Of This Era Were Furnished With
Charm.Those Special Touches Like High Ceilings,
Arched Doorways And Nickel-plated Features.
• In The Major Cities, Such As New York City, There
Was A Demand For Apartments That Had "All The
Comforts Of Home," As A 1909 New York Times
Article Once Put It. Before Then, Apartments Had A
Reputation For Being Uncomfortable.
• A Lot Of Care Was Put Into These Comforts During
An Age When Mass Production Was Just Beginning
To Get Started. A Special Artistry And Individuality
Went Into Many Of These Pre-war Homes, Which
Still Attract And Awe Some Homebuyers Today.
Central Cemetery in Szczecin

5. Key Elements
• Hardwood Floors : Floors Were Often Made Of Solid Oak, And
Most Pre-war Homes Have Wood Frames Around The Doors,
Window Frames And In The Stair Banisters.
• Moldings : This Is A Decorative Feature, Usually Made Of Wood,
Jutting Out Of The Wall That Connects To The Ceiling. Kind Of The
Same Idea As A Wallpaper Border One Will See In Homes Today.
• High Ceilings : Homeowners, Back Then And Today, Don't Like
Feeling Closed In. Typically, A Ceiling Will Be 9 Feet Above The
Ground, And Sometimes Higher. In Many Ways This Is A Holdover
From The Victorian Houses, Which Tended To Have Ceilings As High
As 12 Feet From The Floor.
• Fireplaces : These Have Been A Part Of American Architecture
Since The 1700s, But As Designs Became Safer, They Really Took
Off During The Victorian Era And Remained A Popular Feature In
Living Rooms During The Days Before World War Ii. So Popular That
When President Franklin Roosevelt Broadcasted His Speeches Over
The Radio, They Called Them "Fireside Chats."
Ornamentation on ceilings and built-in bookshelves is
typical of prewar.
Beamed ceilings is a classic prewar design signature.

6. Practically Speaking : Hassles And Headaches
• While Heger Rightfully Raves About Pre-war Homes, Calling Them "Fantastic, Important And Still More
Than Iconic -- Visionary Is A Better Term," Raissa Reid Of New York-based ERA Tucker Associates Cautions,
"You Have To Know What You're Getting Into."
• Reid, A Member Of The Era Historic Properties Program, Explains That While Pre-war Houses Are Beautiful
And Durable, They Are Also ... Well, Old. "You're Dealing With Some Materials That Just Aren't Used Today.
They Would Wrap Hot Water Heaters With Asbestos, And The Pipes Didn't Meet Today's Codes. When
You're Going Into A Home Like That, You Can Modernize That, But It Can Be A Tremendous Expense."
• On The Other Hand, Many Pre-war Houses, At This Point, Have Been Modernized, Or To Some Degree, And
So One Shouldn't Write The Idea Off Either.
• Some Of The Bedrooms -- If We're Not Talking A Luxury Pre-war Home -- May Wind Up Being Smaller Than
Today's Counterparts. Tastes Evolve, And Spacious Kitchens, Walk-in Closets And The Roomy Master
Bathrooms Weren't A Part Of The Building Culture The Way They Are Today, In Many Of The More Modern
Homes.

7. Examples Of Pre-war Architectural Style
• Beresford
• 740 Park Avenue
• Fred C. Aiken House
• San Simeon House
655 Park Avenue East Orange, New Jersey 620 Park Avenue

8. The Beresford
• Beresford Is The 22-story Apartment Building At
211 Central Park West In New York City Is
Considered A Landmark.
• It Was Completed In 1929 By Famed Architect
Emery Roth.
• Built In The Style Of The Italian Rennaissance.
• The Building Has A Limestone Base And A Mix Of
Creatures Adorning The Walls, Including Winged
Cherubs, Dolphins And Rams' Heads. There Were
And Are Only One Or Two Apartment Houses To A
Floor With 10-foot High Ceilings, Ornate Homes
With A Lot Of Space, A Rarity In New York.
• Small Wonder Numerous Celebrities, Including
Rock Hudson, Tony Randall, Glenn Close And Jerry
Seinfeld Have Lived There.
Beresford & Entrance

9. 740 Park Avenue
• The Pre-war Apartment House 740 Park Avenue Is So
Famous That A Book Has Been Written About It:
Michael Gross's 740 Park: The Story Of The World's
Richest Apartment Building (Broadway, 2006).
• The Apartment House Building Was Developed By
Legendary New York Architects Rosario Candela And
Arthur Loomis Harmon. Among Its Famed Residents,
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, John D. Rockefeller And
Vera Wang.
• This Was Such An Ornate Apartment That -- Well, As
Gross' Book Says, The 15th Floor, As An Example,
Had 15-foot Ceilings, 11 Closets And Three
Bathrooms. Some Of The Foyers Were The Size Of
Ballrooms.
740 Park Avenue

10. Fred C. Aiken House
• A Favorite Of Milan Heger, A Seattle-based
Architect Who Has Been A Visiting
Professor Of Architectural History At The
University Of Hawaii And The Technical
Institute In Slovakia, The Fred C. Aiken
House Was Designed In The Spanish Revival
Style In 1926.
• "These Spanish Revival Houses Hold Its
Charm Like No Other Usually On Well-
landscaped Properties," Says Heger. "They
Just Stand Out, And They Have A Following
In Many Professional Circles."
Fred C. Aiken House

11. San Simeon House
• Better Known As The Hearst Castle, Designed By Architect
Julia Morgan And Constructed From 1922 To 1939.
• In Fact, It's Probably The Most Famous, And An Example Of
The Best Type Of Pre-war House Money Could Buy.
• Situated In San Simeon, California, And Originally Owned By
Legendary Newspaper Publisher William Randolph Hearst.
• The San Simeon House Had 56 Bedrooms, 61 Bathrooms, 19
Sitting Rooms, Gardens, Indoor And Outdoor Swimming
Pools, And Was, For A Time, A Magnet For Celebrity Guests
Like Cary Grant, Clark Gable And Charlie Chaplin.
• Now, It Draws Tourists From Around The World. From An
Architectural Standpoint, The House Was Constructed
Largely With Steel Reinforced Concrete, A Building Process
That Was Gaining Popularity In The Early 1900s. The Design
Borrowed Many Styles From Previous Eras, Including The
Renaissance And Baroque.
San Simeon House

12. Art Nouveau
“Victor Horta” And The Belgian Artist
“Henry Van De Velde” Can Be Seen As The
Founders Of The Art Nouveau Style.

13. Etymology & Spread
• Art Nouveau Derives Its Name From La Maison De I’ Art
Nouveau (“The House Of The New Art”)
• Originated In Belgium And Then France In The 1880s As Highly
Stylized And Ornate, With Floral Shapes And Patterns Applied
To Buildings That Feature Curved Walls And Other Organic
Forms.
• Recalling Natural Rather Than Man-made Objects, Art
Nouveau Provided A Contrast To The Mass Production
Characteristic Of The Increasingly Industrialized Urban Society
Found At The Turn Of The Century.
• Popular Through The First Two Decades Of The 20th Century,
• Art Nouveau Then Became Popular In Spain, Where It Was
Called Modernisme And Is Seen In The Work Of Antoni Gaudí;
• Then In Munich And Berlin, Where It Was Called The
Jugendstil;
• & Also In Vienna, Where It Influenced The Establishment Of
The Vienna Secession, Or Sezessionsstil, Which In Turn Shared
Traits With The Arts And Crafts Style That Had Just Been
Introduced In Britain.
Glasgow School Of Art : Library

14. Chronology:
The Work Of These Craftsmen – Artist Are Showcased In A Gallery Opened By Seigfried Bing In Paris, France In 1895.
Artist Life Span Structures Place Built In
Antoni Gaudi 1852-1926 Palau Güell Barcelona 1880
Sagrada Familia Barcelona 1880
Casa Mila Barcelona 1905
Charles Rennie
Mackintosh
1968-1928 Glasgow School Of Arts Glasgow,scotland 1908
Victor Horta 1861–1947 Tassel House Brussels 1892
Joseph Maria Olbrich 1867–1908 Secession House Vienna 1896
Hector Guimard 1867–1942 Paris Metropolitan
Stations
Paris 1899–1905
Josef Hoffmann 1870–1956 Purkersdorf
Sanatorium
Vienna 1904
Stoclet Palace Brussels 1904–1911

15. Style File
• Characteristics:
– Organic Form : Tassel House
– Articulating Modernity : Porte Dauphine Metro Station
– Symbolism : Sagrada Familia
– Material Contrasts : Glasgow School Of Arts
– Anti-historicism : Secession Building
– Anti-ornament : Palais Stoclet
• Notable Features : Sinuous, Undulating, Organic Forms;
Lavish, Decorative Ornamentation.
• Major Influences : Fluid Plant Forms And The Natural World;
Stylized, Linear, Japanese Art; The British Art And Craft
Movement.
• Where And When : Europe (Especially In Brussel, Paris And
Vienna) And The Usa ; C.1890-1910.
Glasgow School Of Arts

16. Victor Horta’s Hotel Tassel
• The First “True” Art Nouveau Building
Is The Tassel House In Brussels
• Built By The Belgian Architect Victor
Horta In 1892 For Science Professor
Emile Tassel.
• Here Horta Creates A Rich
Environment That Blends Curved Wall
Surfaces, Stained Glass Windows,
Mosaics, And Even Stairwells With
Uniquely Organic Iron Railings
Sweeping Upward. Front Facade

17. Victor Horta’s Hotel Tassel
Octagonal Stair HallStairway of Hotel Tassel
Facade

18. Porte Dauphine Metro Station
• In 1895 The French Architect Hector Guimard Went
To Belgium And Saw The Tassel House. He Then
Returned To Paris To Begin Working In The Art
Nouveau Style.
• Guimard Is Best Known For His Paris Metro Stations,
Built Between 1899 And 1905.
• The Porte Dauphine, With A Glazed Canopy That
Covers The Underground Entrance Like A Bonnet,
Was Built In 1899 And Is Today The Only Surviving
Art Nouveau Closed-roof Metro Station Entrance.
• The Entrances Featured Green Tinted Cast Iron
Railings, Light Figures, And Sign Posts That Appear To
Grow Out Of The Ground Like Bean Stalks Sprouting
Upward And Twining Around The Stairwell. These
“Metropolitain” Entrances Created A Dramatic
Contrast To The Prevailing Classical Style Found In
Paris At This Time.
Entrance

19. Porte Dauphine Metro Station

20. Secession Building
• In 1897 In Vienna, 19 Artists Who Had Become Increasingly
Disillusioned By The Historical Conservatism Of The Vienna
Kunstlerhaus Formed Their Own Organization Called The
Vienna Secession And Elected The Painter Gustav Klimt As
Their First President.
• In The Same Year In Vienna, Joseph Maria Olbrich
Constructed The Secession Building To House The Group’s
Art Exhibitions.
• The Exterior Is Painted A Shining White With A Very
Modern, Streamlined Version Of Classical Articulation To
Give The Impression Of A Temple. The Angular Aspects Of
The Building Are Diminished By An Overlay Of Applied
Organic Patterns Done In Thin Black Lines To Give The
Impression Of Vines Growing Across The Exterior. A Golden
Dome Rests On Top Of The Building, With No Drum, But
Styled Like A Ball Of Intricately Intertwined Flowers Held
Together By A Gilded Iron Sphere.
Front Facade

21. Secession Building

22. Palais Stoclet
• Josef Hoffmann Was Also A Member Of The Vienna
Secession, Yet His More Angular Style Relates Less To
The Organic Qualities Of The Art Nouveau And More
To The Arts And Crafts Movement.
• His Palais Stoclet, Built In Brussels In 1905–1911 For
A Wealthy Banker, Reveals A Smooth Masonry
Exterior With Strongly Linear Black And White
Outlines That Run Vertically And Horizontally Across
The Surface Of The Building. The Rectangular
Windows Echo The Geometric Shapes Used To Create
This Modern Version Of Classicism.
• As Architects Sought A More Varied Approach To
Modern Construction, The Application Or Denial Of
Applied Decoration And Presence Or Lack Of
Historical References Became A Recurring Discourse
Through The 20th Century.
Back Facade

23. Palais Stoclet

24. Barcelona Sagrada Familia
Side Facade Front Facade

25. Barcelona Sagrada Familia

26. Contemporary Style

27. Contemporary Architecture
• Contemporary Architecture Is The Architecture Of The 21st Century.
• No Single Style Is Dominant; Contemporary Architects Are Working In A Dozen Different Styles, From
Postmodernism And High-tech Architecture To Highly Conceptual And Expressive Styles, Resembling
Sculpture On An Enormous Scale.
• Even Though A Precise Definition Of The Term Is Difficult To Articulate, Contemporary Homes Typically
Include An Irregular Or Unusually Shaped Frame, An Open Floor Plan, Oversized Windows, And The Use Of
"Green" And Repurposed Components. Such Homes Also Often Have An Organic Design, Fitting Into The
Surrounding Space And Meeting An Immediate Need In The Area.
• Prominent Contemporary Architects Include Frank Gehry, Who Designed The Guggenheim Museum In
Bilbao; John Andrews, Who Designed The Cn Tower In Toronto; And Jean Nouvel, Who Designed The Quai
Branly Museum In Paris.

28. Contemporary Vs. Modern Architecture
• Although People Sometimes Use The Terms "Contemporary" And
"Modern" Architecture Interchangeably, They Technically Are Not
Synonymous.
• Modern Architecture Refers To The Building Style Of The Early To
Mid-20th Century. It Featured Clean Lines With An Emphasis On
Function.
• Some People Viewed The Elements That Characterized Modern
Architecture As Too Cold And Impersonal. This Belief Lead To The
Creation Of The Contemporary Style As Is Recognized Today. Like
The Modern Style, It Connects Indoor And Outdoor Spaces, But It
Adds Some Personal Touches And Warmth Throughout The Living
Space. The Use Of Natural Light Also Plays A Big Role, So Large And
Expansive Windows Are A Common And Easily Recognized Feature
Of Such Homes.
Vrindavan Chandrodaya
Mandir in Mathura

29. Different Styles And Approaches
Green Architecture
• Green Building Is Also A Strong Component Of The Contemporary Style.
• Architects Place More Emphasis On Energy Efficiency And Use Sustainable, Natural, And
Recycled Materials To Create Eco-friendly Houses. It's Not Unusual For Builders To
Thoughtfully Integrate These Homes Into Their Natural Surroundings.
• People Sometimes Refer To This Practice As Organic Architecture.
• The Connection Extends From The Outdoor Landscape To The Indoor Environment.
• Outside, Local Plants May Be Used To Decorate The Surroundings, Or The House May
Be Designed Around A Prominent Natural Feature. Living Roofs, In Which Plants Are
Used As Roofing Materials To Increase Energy Efficiency, Are Also Becoming Popular.
• Inside, Natural Materials Like Bamboo Flooring And Granite Countertops Are Common.
Reusing Materials
• Contemporary Architecture Often Seeks To Take Old Buildings And Structures And
Reuse Them In Innovative And Fresh Ways.
• This Might Mean A Simple Redesigning Of Interior Furnishings, Or It Might Entail
Extensive Renovations That Dramatically Change The Look, Layout, Or Function Of The
Space.
• For This Reason, The Style Often Ties Easily To Work By Previous Architects And
Designers, Especially Since It Often Uses Fairly Traditional Materials, Such As Steel And
Concrete.
School of the Arts in Singapore

30. Different Styles And Approaches
Computer Aided Design
• Architects And Designers Often Rely Heavily On Computers As They Create Their Finished Product.
• This Allows Professionals To Produce Results That Are Incredibly Precise, Durable, Artistic, And Efficient.
• Computers Also Play A Role In Ensuring The Designs Are Safe And Preventing Injuries During The
Construction Process.
• Another Major Benefit Is That They Shorten The Time It Takes To Create A Structure.
• The Use Of New Techniques Of Computer-aided Design, Which Allow Buildings To Be Designed And
Modeled On Computers In Three Dimensions, And Constructed With More Precision And Speed.
Need As A Driving Force
• Whereas Desire For Particular Aesthetic Elements Typically Drove Previous Styles, Need Is The Primary
Driving Element Behind Contemporary Architecture.
• Increases In Population, Along With A Reduction Of Funds And Some Resources, Are Forcing Communities
To Explore Different Means Of Building And Organizing Space.
• One Way Of Defining The Style, Therefore, Is By Identifying The Structures Or Designs That Meet Some
Pressing Need In The Immediate Surrounding Area.
• The Size Or Use Of A Given Structure By Itself Does Not Determine Whether An Architectural Design
Accurately Can Fall Under The Contemporary Classification.
• Skyscrapers In Cities Are Known For Leaning Toward This Style, For Example, And May Cover Dozens Of
Floors And A Huge Amount Of Space. Residential Homes Can Also Have A Contemporary Appearance And
Feel, However.
• The Style Appears In Both Rural And Urban Neighborhoods.
Christian Dior Tower in
Omotesando, Tokyo

31. Different Styles And Approaches
Contemporary Chic
• A Closely Related Concept Is Contemporary Chic.
• Better Known In Relation To Personal Appearance, Particularly Hair, Clothing And
Accessories, This Idea Relates To Things That Are Fashionable Yet Still Highly
Comfortable And Functional.
• Architecture In This Style Is Both Useful And Artistic Enough To Set Trends.
Tube Structure
• Which Allows Construction Of The Buildings That Are Taller, Lighter And Stronger
Than Those In The 20th Century
Related Styles
• Over Time, Contemporary Architecture Has Developed Several Offshoots, Each
With Its Own Characteristics, Including Postmodernism, Neomodernism, And
Deconstructivism, Among Others.
• Postmodern And Neomodern Architecture Returned To The Use Of Ornaments On
The Facade Of Building.
• Deconstructivism Developed From Postmodernism And Is Characterized By Ideas Of
Fragmentation.
Burj Khalifa in Dubai

32. Architect Influencing Contemporary Architecture
• Most Of The Landmarks Of Contemporary Architecture Are The
Works Of A Small Group Of Architects Who Work On An
International Scale.
• Many Were Designed By Architects Already Famous In The Late
20th Century, Including Mario Botta, Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel,
Norman Foster, Ieoh Ming Pei And Renzo Piano.
• While Others Are The Work Of A New Generation Born During Or
After World War II, Including Zaha Hadid, Santiago Calatrava,
Daniel Libeskind, Jacques Herzog, Pierre De Meuron, Rem
Koolhaas, And Shigeru Ban.
• Other Projects Are The Work Of Collectives Of Several Architects,
Such As Unstudio And Sanaa, Or Giant Multinational Agencies
Such As Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, With Thirty Associate
Architects And Large Teams Of Engineers And Designers, And
Gensler, With 5,000 Employees In 16 Countries.
Evolution Tower in Moscow
International Business Center

33. Disney Concert Hall by Carol Highsmith

34. Beijing national stadium

35. Millwaukee Museum

36. Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto

37. Denver Art Museum

38. Art Deco

39. ● Art Deco, sometimes referred to as Deco,
is a style of visual arts, architecture and
design that first appeared in France just
before World War I. Art Deco influenced
the design of buildings, furniture,
jewellery, fashion, cars, movie theatres,
trains, ocean liners, and everyday objects
such as radios and vacuum cleaned.
● It combined modernist styles with fine
craftsmanship and rich materials. During
its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury,
glamour, exuberance, and faith in social
and technological progress. Patterns
Introduction

40. ● Art Deco was a pastiche of many different styles,
sometimes contradictory, united by a desire to be
modern.
● From its outset, Art Deco was influenced by the
bold geometric forms of Cubism; the bright colors
of Fauvism and of the Ballets Russes; the updated
craftsmanship of the furniture of the eras of Louis
Philippe and Louis XVI; and the exotic styles of
China and Japan, India, Persia, ancient Egypt and
Maya art.
● It featured rare and expensive materials, such as
ebony and ivory, and exquisite craftsmanship.
● The Chrysler Building and other skyscrapers of
New York built during the 1920s and 1930s are
monuments of the Art Deco style.
Art Deco
Style of Representation

41. History
• Art Deco Is A Uniquely Urban Style Of Architecture That Celebrated Modernity.
• In Some Respects It Was Modeled On The Sleek, Streamlined Modern Architecture Found In Europe,
Such As The Bauhaus Or The International Style; But Rather Than These Structural Forms Devoid Of
Any Applied Ornamentation, Art Deco Buildings Reveal Applied, Machine-like Patterns Such As
Repetitive Stamp-like Images Of Machine Gears, Wheels, Or Automobile Imagery, Or Zigzag Patterns Of
More Exotic Images.
• For Example, The Discovery Of Tutankhamen’s Tomb In 1922 Fueled An Interest In Things Egyptian,
And So Egyptian-styled Patterns Found Their Way Onto Art Deco Buildings.
• The High Point Of Art Deco Occurred Between The Two World Wars, From The 1920s Through The
1930s, But Its Major Source Of Inspiration Came After The 1925 Exposition Internationale Des Arts
Décoratifs Et Industriels Modernes In Paris; It Then Spread Across To The United States And Remained
Popular Through The 1950s.

42. ART DECO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK

43. Architect Structures Place Built In
William Van Alen Chrysler Building New Yorykcity 1928-1930
Ellis & Clarke With Sir Owen
Willia Ms (Entrance Hall By
Robert Atkinson)
Daily Express Building London 1929-1933
Wallis Gilbert And Partners Hoover Factory Perivale,london 1935
Ernest Arthur Williams Daily Telegraph Building Napier , New Zealand 1932
Charles Holden Arnos Grove Underground
Station
London 1932
Edward Durell Stone (Interior
Design By Donald Deskey)
Radiocity Music Hall, Rockefeller Center,
New York City
1932

44. Style file
• Art Deco Came To Symbolize All Of The Modern-age Technical Ingenuity That Allowed For The Great Advances In The
Steel Industry, The Automobile Industry, And The New “Machine Age” That Brought Great Prosperity And Optimism
To The United States.
• This Style Remained Popular Through The Next Several Decades.
• It Spread Across The Country And Can Be Found In Midwestern Railroad Stations, Business Office Headquarters, And
Local Civic Buildings.
• Characteristics :
– Spread And Movement : Chrysler Building,newyork City
– Glamour : Daily Express Building, London
– Rectilinear : Hoover Factory,perivale, London
– Exoticism : Daily Telegraph Building,napier, New Zealand
– Residual Classicism : Arnos Grove Underground Station, London
– Geometric Forms : Radio City Music Hall,rockefeller Center,new York City

45. Example And Expansion
• In the United States, Art Deco made its first appearance in New
York City And Became The Preferred Style During This Era That
Found A Confluence Of Prosperity, An Interest In Travel, And The
Arts.
• Thus, The Rhythm Of Jazz Music, The Growth Of The American
Automobile Industry, And The Drive To Create The Tallest
Building In The Country Are All Part Of The Cultural Heritage Of
Art Deco.
• Raymond Hood Was One Of The Earlier Architects To Work In
The Art Deco Style In The United States. His Chicago Tribune
Tower, Built In 1924 With John Mead Howells, Exhibits A Gothic
Revival Style That Was Typical Of The Earliest Skyscrapers, But
Then Hood Sought To Modernize And Streamline This Style With
A New Machine Aesthetic. His Radio City Music Hall Auditorium
At Rockefeller Center In New York City (1930s) And The New York
Daily News Building (1929) Reflect This New Style.
Radio City Music Hall

46. Chrysler Building
• When Walter Chrysler Commissioned William
Van Alen To Construct The Chrysler Building
In New York City In 1930, It Was Meant To Be
The Tallest Building In The World.
• Constructed With A Stainless Steel Frame,
The Building Features Decorative Elements In
The Art Deco Style, Such As Eagles, Car
Imagery, Zigzags, A Stepped-cone Top, And A
Spire To Increase The Height Of The Building.
Chrysler Building

47. Empire State Building
• At The Same Time, John Jacob Raskob Of General Motors
Was Planning The Empire State Building, Begun In New York
City By Shreve, Lamb, And Harmon In 1931 And Finished
Just Over One Year Later.
• This Skyscraper Measured 1,250 Feet Tall And Was Built
With A Steel Skeleton And Bricks. I
• N The Top Third Of The Building, Tiered Sections Allude To A
Stepped-pyramid Format, Like A Mesopotamian Ziggurat. A
Spire Was Then Added, Making The Empire State Building
The Tallest Building In New York, Until It Was Surpassed By
The World Trade Center In 1972.
• After The World Trade Center Was Destroyed In 2001, The
Empire State Building Again Became The Tallest Building In
New York City.
Empire State Building

48. ● Prairie style, in architecture, American style
exemplified by the low-lying “prairie houses” such as
Robie House (1908) that were for the most part built
in the Midwest between 1900 and 1917 by Frank
Lloyd Wright. Among the Midwest architects who
were influenced by this style of design were Walter
Burley Griffin, George Grant Elmslie, William
Drummond, George Maher, Robert Spencer, Hugh
Garden, Marion Mahony, Henry Trost, and Barry
Byrne.
● Prairie houses and other buildings were generally
two-story structures with single-story wings. They
utilized horizontal lines, ribbon windows, gently
sloping roofs, suppressed, heavy-set chimneys,
overhangs, and sequestered gardens.
Arthur B. Heurtley House, Oak Park, Ill.; the
house was designed in the Prairie style by
Frank Lloyd Wright
Prairie style

49. ● 1 - 2 storey
● Open floor plan with free-flowing spaces (sometimes blurring the line between indoor and outdoor spaces)
● Projecting or cantilevered wings
● Integrated with landscape and environment
● Open floor plan
● Low-pitched hipped or flat roof (less common is gabled)
● Broad, overhanging eaves (usually boxed)
● Strong horizontal lines
● Ribbons of windows, often casements, arranged in horizontal bands
● Clerestory windows
● Prominent, central chimney
● Stylized, built-in cabinetry
● Wide use of natural materials especially stone and wood
● Siding often stucco, stone, or brick
● Restrained ornamentation such as friezes around windows and doors, or as bands under the eaves
Prairie Style Characteristics

51. Prairie Style Houses
Not all Prairie Style homes were on the grand scale of the Dana-Thomas House, a 35-room mansion designed
by Wright for Illinois socialite Susan Lawrence Dana. More modest examples by imitators of Wright exist
throughout the American Midwest.
This house has both Bungalow and Prairie
elements. The simple styles were both
reactions to the excess of the Victorian era.
"Hidden" entrances were another design element common
in Prairie Style. Folks visiting this house in Edwardsville, IL
would have to know where the entrance was.

52. A Gordon Van
Tine kit home
in the Prairie
Style in New
Bedford, IL.
D Prairie style
house in St.
Louis area
shows typical
window
groupings, and
a low hipped
roof.
H Another fine example of a Prairie Style house
in St. Louis. Most existing examples of
historical Prairie houses are in the Midwest.

53. Prairie School Architecture

54. “Form follows function – that has been misunderstood. Form and function should
be one, joined in a spiritual union” Frank Lloyd Wright
● In 1893, Frank Lloyd Wright founded his
architectural practice in Oak Park, a quiet,
semi-rural village on the Western edges of
Chicago.
● It was at his Oak Park Studio during the first
decade of the twentieth century that Wright
pioneered a bold new approach to domestic
architecture, the Prairie style.
● Inspired by the broad, flat landscape of
America’s Midwest, the Prairie style was the
first uniquely American architectural style of
what has been called “the American Century.”

55. Traditional vs. Modern
• There were two diametrically opposed schools of thought with regard to architecture at the end of the 19th century. One
was the traditional, which drew on the styles from America's past and the influences of prominent European and English
designers and architects. The traditionalists who treasured the Classical Revival styles, like as Daniel Burnham who
organized the hugely influential 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition in Chicago, appealed to the conservative home buyer.
• The opposing school, expressed in the Prairie School, was influenced by new currents in design and visionary architectural
thinkers like Louis Sullivan, as well as the Arts & Crafts Movement with its values of honesty in materials and
craftsmanship. Other significant influences included the emerging Modernist Movement, Minimalism, De Stijl, and broader
international exposure to new cultural influences like those of Japan and Egypt, for example.
• Though Frank Lloyd Wright is most closely associated with Prairie School architecture and was critically important to its
development and popularity, there were other architects who were equally impressive in design skill (if not in personal
charisma and self-promotion) including Barry Byrne, George Grant Elmslie, George Washington Maher, William Gray
Purcell, and many others.
• As the Prairie style became more widely accepted from about 1905 to 1920, it became more stylized and generic. It went
far beyond its original aesthetic and influenced the popular Foursquare (aka Prairie Box) and later Ranch styles.

56. Thank You