Art Deco

Sewall Apartments // 1938

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This garden apartment complex at 98-116 Sewall Avenue in Brookline is an excellent example of the Art Deco style which reached its height in popularity in the midst of the Great Depression, so fewer examples of the style are typically found. Here in Brookline, the city was seeing rapid development in the early decades of the 20th century, where large estates were subdivided and commercial areas expanded into once residential neighborhoods. U-shaped in plan and standing three-stories, this complex replaced a large property owned by the Stearns Family, a prominent local family with many properties around present-day Coolidge Corner. The apartments were developed by the G & S Investment Company, a real estate development firm, who hired architect, Saul Moffie, to design the building. Completed in 1938, the complex has richly articulated facades with a variety of geometric brick patterns, including chevrons, diapering, header courses and soldier courses with each entryway identified by a projecting pavilion with a stepped stone parapet above. The doors and sidelights are wood with glass panels in a chevron motif similar to the brickwork and all residential units have steel multi-pane windows. What a gem!

Former Lupoli Brothers Funeral Home – H. L. Hotchkiss House and Stable // 1841 & 1935

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A rare example of the Art Deco architectural style in New Haven, the former Lupoli Brothers Funeral Home on Chapel Street in Wooster Square is more than meets the eye! This Art Deco jewel box was originally constructed in 1841 as a large, single family home and modernized nearly 100 years later in its current design. In 1841, Henry Lucas Hotchkiss (1810-1861), a businessman and president of the L. Candee Rubber Company, had a two-story Greek Revival style home built on this lot for his wife, Lucy. The home was originally two stories, but a third floor was added in the 1860s, around the time the rear stable (still extant) was constructed, for another owner. In the early 20th century, as the Wooster Square neighborhood became a center of Italian-American life and business in New Haven, the property was purchased by Liberato Lipoli (1862-1934) who moved to Connecticut from the Piedmont region of Italy. A year after their father’s death, sons Mario, Gennaro, Antonio and Louis Lupoli, established a funeral parlor catering to the local Italian American community. In 1935, the Lupoli Brothers hired local architect, Lester Julianelle to reimagine the former Hotchkiss House in a modern style. The result is the refaced building with Classical Revival and Art Deco elements including the iconic entry reading, “Lupoli Bros” in the iconic lettering. The Lupoli’s closed the parlor here in 2008 and the building was converted to eight condominium units.

Derby Gas and Electric Company Offices // 1931

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The former Derby Gas and Electric Company offices are located on Elizabeth Street in Derby, Connecticut, and stand as one of the great Art Deco buildings in New England. Built in 1931, the four-story office building features a limestone facade with bronze storefronts and light fixtures which were illuminated from the company’s plant nearby. In the 1950s the company was acquired by the United Illuminating Company.

Woodrow Wilson School // 1932

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The Woodrow Wilson School, now Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School, is located at 18 Croftland Avenue in the Ashmont neighborhood of Dorchester. The school was built in 1932 to accommodate increased development and population growth in the immediate area in the interwar period and was designed in a blending of Classical Revival and Art Deco styles, both popular at the time for such academic buildings. The building was named for Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), the 28th President of the United States and was designed to comfortably accommodate 1,600 students. Architect, John Matthew Gray designed the building to conform to a plan drafted by the City of Boston in 1923 to standardize all new school construction down to the precise dimensions of windows and hallways. The permitted flexibility for hired architects was strictly on the exterior, where architects were free to create individual character in the designs of entryways, auditoriums, and exterior architectural styles and decoration. The entry of the Woodrow Wilson School depicts Art Deco motifs including lettering and inlaid carved panels over the door of a child reading and a child holding a globe. The school was renamed the Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School after the innovative educator of the same name.


South Street Diner // c.1947

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One of the hidden gems of Boston can be found tucked away in the Leather District, one of the last remaining diner cars in the city, this is South Street Diner. At this site, at the corner of South and Kneeland streets, a diner car has existed since about 1935. In 1947 the present diner car was built by the Worcester Lunch Car Company and moved on this site as the Blue Diner opened, possibly named after its patrons, largely blue-collar workers. The diner would be renamed the South Street diner in 1992, a name that has stuck ever-since. The diner attracts tourists, nearby workers, and drunken college students, serving as a much-needed melting pot for people of different backgrounds to grab a good bite to eat.

Strand Theater // 1923

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The Strand Theater on Main Street in Rockland, Maine, is a great example of the inter-war theaters that sprouted up in towns all across the country following WWI. The theater was built in 1922-23, on the site of a building destroyed in a 1922 fire that swept through the southern part of Rockland’s downtown. The steel-framed theater, with its terracotta tile walls and ornamental brick facade is fairly unadorned, besides the blade sign marquee reading “STRAND”. Two storefronts, a cigar store and a flower shop, were also incorporated into the theater, framing the entrance. The theater stayed open until the early 2000s when the local multiplex bought it and closed it. In February, 2004, the theatre was purchased by a long-time summer resident who restored the building and opened it back up. The Strand remains a vital economic and cultural center for the town, and its preservation is an important piece of Rockland’s charming Main Street.

Hotel Manger // 1930-1983

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Built on the site of the former Boston & Lowell Train Station the Hotel Manger (later renamed the Madison Hotel in 1959) was part of the first redevelopment of North Station in Boston. When the Boston & Maine Railroad announced that plans had been finalized for the construction of a new North Station facility, which would include a sports arena, hotel, office building, and distributing terminal, Manger Hotels, a national hotel chain, and the Boston & Maine Railroad announced that the two parties had signed a contract for the construction of the hotel on the site with each party holding a 50% stock in the building. Designed by the architectural firm of Funk & Wilcox in the Art Deco style, the 17-story hotel was completed in 1930 and contained 500 rooms and at the time of its opening, the hotel was said to have had proportionately more marble than any other building in New England! As railroad traffic declined, the neighborhood surrounding North Station lost its importance as a commuter center and the hotel began to suffer financially, leading the hotel to close in 1976. Plans to convert the old hotel into elderly housing fell through, and in March 1983, the Boston Redevelopment Authority purchased the hotel and demolished it as part of their urban renewal plan for the area. The site is now occupied by the mundane Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Federal Building.

North Station & Boston Garden // 1928-1998

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In the 1920s, plans began to build a contemporary train station that tied in both the Boston subway and regional train lines. The complex would replace the former North Union Station and help propel Boston as a more contemporary city. Seeing the opportunity, Boston real estate developer James Walsh realized the potential of adding a sporting stadium atop the station. Walsh had also contacted New York boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who built the third iteration of New York’s Madison Square Garden, and was eyeing boston as a location for a second Madison Square Garden. The duo hired the New York firm of Fellheimer and Wagner (designers of New York Grand Central Station) to design the exterior of the building in the Art Deco style. The building opened in November 1928 as the Boston Madison Square Garden, later shortened to the Boston Garden. The arena was built specifically with boxing in mind, with Rickard believing every seat should be close enough to see the “sweat on the boxers’ brows”. Due to this layout, fans for decades later were much closer to the players during Bruins and Celtics games than in most arenas, leading to a distinct hometown advantage. Storied franchises became dynasties and the grit and determination of Boston sports was fostered under this roof. The small size of the Boston Garden, paired with electrical issues and lack of air-conditioning, led to its demise. The present Boston Garden opened in 1995, behind the old Garden and was known as the Fleet Center, later renamed the TD Garden. The 1920s Garden sat vacant for three years before it was demolished in 1998. The site where the building once stood is currently a commercial development called The Hub on Causeway.

Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Roxbury // 1915

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Breaking ground in 1915, this early Modern church building must have turned heads when it was being built in Roxbury! In October, 1907, a fine lot of land with a house on it, at the corner of Elm Hill Avenue and Howland Street, was purchased for eighteen thousand dollars by a group of Christian Science followers. In October, 1911, a building committee of five was elected by the church, and by the summer of 1914 the building fund had made such satisfactory growth that ground was broken and work for the new structure begun in September. The congregation hired the illustrious architectural firm of Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge to design the edifice of classic and imposing design. Constructed of gray tapestry brick with limestone trimmings, the auditorium seated upwards of one thousand members, under the dome roof. Today, the building is occupied by Grace Church of All Nations.

David A. Ellis School // 1932

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In the early decades of the 20th century, Boston’s population grew to a point that existing infrastructure was becoming an issue. The Boston School Committee as a result, acquired sites via eminent domain, and built ten new school buildings citywide in 1932 alone! The City of Boston acquired this site a decade earlier, but finally broke ground on the David A. Ellis Elementary School in 1931 from plans by architect Ralph Templeton Cushman Jackson. The building is a rare example of a Art Moderne style school building in Boston, and it was named for David Ellis (1873–1929), former chairman of the School Committee. The brick building stands out for its brickwork and sections of terracotta tiles in geometric designs. They don’t make them like they used to.

Former Ridgefield Savings Bank Building // 1930

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Historically, bank buildings were built with architecture at the forefront to show members and prospective investors that their company instilled prosperity and longevity. Today, many new bank buildings are cookie-cutter designs and lack ornamentation or intrigue… The interwar Ridgefield Savings Bank on Main Street in Ridgefield, Connecticut, was built in 1930 from plans by architects Ralph Hawes and Ernest Strassie in the Neo-Classical style with Art Deco rounded corners and undecorated planes. Dominated by its Classical Ionic portico the bank building is a lasting commercial landmark on the town’s charming Main Street. It is now occupied by the Fairfield County Bank.

Wales-Amory Townhouses // 1860

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This is why preservation matters! These two townhouses on Beacon Street in the Back Bay of Boston were constructed in 1859-60 for Gardner Brewer (on the right) and George W. Wales (left). Brewer, an extremely wealthy merchant built the house on the right for his son-in-law and daughter, William and Ellen (Brewer) Amory, as a wedding gift following their February 1860 marriage. The symmetrical pair of houses were both originally clad with a brownstone facade with Second Empire style trim details and a continuous mansard roof. Both houses were renovated by the early 20th century with Colonial influence, as Victorian styles started to wane popularity amongst wealthy circles. The former Amory house (right) was purchased by Della Saul and was operating as a boarding house by the 1930s. It was converted to an apartment building (like condos) and the building was renovated with a new facade in 1935 by brothers and architects George Nelson Jacobs and William Nelson Jacobs with a more modern/Art Deco appearance. The house on the left remained with its more Colonial facade until a 2018 renovation by architect Guy Grassi giving it a cast stone facade, restoring the three-condo house closer to its original appearance.

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church // 1956

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Believe it or not, the city of North Adams, Massachusetts has long been home to a large Italian population. The first waves of Italians first arrived to this part of the Berkshires in the mid-late 19th century, many of which were hired to build the Hoosac tunnel, which when it was finished, was the second longest tunnel in the world. It took almost 25 years to build! Some Italians were experienced stone carvers and others worked in the cotton mills and other factories in the area. As the Italian population grew, Roman Catholic churches were required for these new first- and second-generation families in the mill town. The first St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church was erected in North Adams in 1906. Four years later, the 1910 census noted that roughly 16% of North Adams’ population was of Italian descent. After the first church burned down around 1950, money was raised to build the present church which is located across the street from Mass MoCA. The church was designed by architect Anthony DePace (1892–1977), an American architect who designed numerous Roman Catholic churches throughout the Northeastern United States area during the mid to late 20th century. Architecturally, the building features late-Romanesque and Art Moderne details. Eventually, the decline in the number of Catholics in North Adams in recent decades led to the consolidation of parishes in 2009. St. Anthony’s is the sole remaining Catholic church in North Adams and the church and parish are now known as St. Elizabeth of Hungary, possibly after a merging of multiple parishes.

Arlington Building // 1904-2022

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This one took me a while to write about because it still pains me to see it was demolished… The Arlington Building was constructed in 1904 as a mid-block building on Boylston Street, across from the Public Garden for the Bryant and Stratton Commercial School. It was designed by architect William Gibbons Rantoul of the firm Andrews, Jacques & Rantoul in the Beaux Arts style. The school building was significantly altered when Arlington Street was extended southward through Boylston Street, making this building suddenly a corner landmark. The new Arlington Street elevation was modeled after the Boylston Street facade. By 1929, Shreve, Crump & Low, established in 1796, the oldest purveyor of luxury goods in North America, moved into the building. The next year, they hired architect William T. Aldrich to add Art Deco embellishments and storefront designs, along with interior renovations to modernize the structure. The luxury company had downsized and moved out of the building, and its prominent site was threatened when owner/developer Druker Co. submitted for a demolition permit to raze the building (and others on the block) to erect a modern office/commercial building. After years of fighting between local preservationists and business interests and developers, the latter won and the building was demolished by late 2022. The new building, 350 Boylston Street, is presently undergoing construction, and in my opinion, is a poor attempt to fit into the surrounding context and is neither as unique or inspiring as the former building.

Waterbury Dam // 1938

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In November of 1927, a disastrous storm hit the State of Vermont. Severe flooding in the Winooski River Basin area resulted in the loss 55 lives and damages totaling over $22 Million. A Corps of Engineers study was initiated soon thereafter to investigate “the improvement of the Winooski River for the purposes of navigation in combination with the development of waterpower… and the control of floods.” The report presented a comprehensive plan for flood control and power development, consisting of: the construction of seven reservoirs; the installation of seven new hydropower plants, and the enlargement or improvement of 12 existing plants. Construction of the Waterbury Dam and Reservoir began in 1935 and was completed in 1938. The dam and reservoir were designed and built by the Corps of Engineers using contract services and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) labor, all thanks to the New Deal legislation enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The gatehouse at the top of the dam’s embankment is a rare example of Art Deco architecture in the state of Vermont and was completed in 1938 as the last piece of the project. The building and dam remain today as part of the Little River State Park and are a great example of Engineering History and a look into human intervention in the natural landscape.