Streamline
Architecture
As "Art Deco" evolved in the 1930s
modern transportation and industrial design began to have
an even greater impact upon new construction. The "streamlined"
character of automobiles, airplanes, trains, buses, liners
and even home appliances inspired powerful horizontal design
compositions, accentuated by striking vertical features and
punctuated by icons of the technological era.
The origins of streamline architecture
are found in Europe. In the early 1910s, a young italian architect
who was part of the futurist movement, Sant´Elia, did many
drawings of large urban buildings (station, office buildings)
which were part of overall concept for a futuristic city.
The lines allthough art deco-ish (many vertical lines) were
also speed oriented and stretched.
Allthough
he died in the 1st WW and never had a chance to see his project
turned to life, he influenced some of the european architects
of the time. The most famous among them was Erich Mendelsohn,
a german born architect who in the early 20s made many sketches
of extremely streamlined buildings.
Its most famous legacy however is the so called Einstein Tower
in Postdam Germany (drawing above), which mixed element of
organic and streamline architecture. Due to the complexity
of the building, no other projects like this were ever done:
intended to be built out of concrete, it was finally built
with bricks and overlapped with a plaster finish. Mendelsohn
later received many projects, most famous are the Shocken
Department stores in Berlin and Stuttgart (now destroyed)
which were a marvel of glass and steel architecture, at that
time a real novelty.
Let s not forget that at the same time, a strong parallel
school movement was taking place, the Bauhaus which would
finally become a standard in architecture (the so called international
style). But apart from the Dessau bauhaus school (built 8
years later), very few buildings in 
Germany
were as streamlinish avant-garde as the ones made by Mendelsohn.
By the end of the 20s, the streamline architecture reached
its peak Many streamline movie theaters were built and they
became the model for what was to be found later in the UK
and USA.
Mendelsohn went to the US in 1925-26 and met Norman Bel Geddes,
the soon to be most influential figure for streamline utopia
in the US.
By 1933, time of the rise of Hilter, the streamline style
had completely disappeared (the same fate occured to bauhaus
style housing).
Meanwhile the streamline style had reached other countries
in Europe. By 1930 many buildings were done in this style
in France and the UK and would last until the end of the war.
The style was often called paquebot (or liner) architecture
as rails on balcony and roof toops as well as portholes were
a common trait.
French would often use from 1930s on a mix of vertical art
deco and streamline styled elements and it was mostly found
in schools, airport and condominium buildings.
In
the UK, private housing and movie theater done in the streamline
style became extremely popular around 1935 and the same can
be said of Belgium were all sea side cities had many buildings
done in the style. From the UK, the style reached the shores
of Australia, New Zealand (Napier was completely rebuilt after
an earthquake in 1932) and South Africa. There is a great
amount of streamlined buildings in Shanghai, mostly in the
french concession, built in the late 30s and 40s. The most
spectacular is certainly the old airport which looks from
the sky like a giant airplane.
Another interesting exception is Italy which under Mussolini
was completely obsessed with speed (originating in the futurist
movement of the early 1910s) yet very few buildings in the
streamline style were built in Italy itself. Instead they
turned their attention to Eritrea (Africa), which had become
an italian colony in the 20s, and built from scratch a complete
city in streamline / art deco style. his city is Asmara. Like
Shanghai, the most famous building done in the style is the
Fiat gas station 
which also looks like an airplane.
By 1932, the streamline stye in architecture made its first
appearance in the US and sent a very strong signal during
the 1933 Chicago World Fair. It would become a standard for
the 15 years to come.
Streamline architecture was, as soon as it reached the american
shores in clinch with the architects of the international
style, an architecture mostly based on the bauhaus principles.
Philipp Johnson, Curator of the NY MOMA was the most ardent
opponent of the streamline movement in general and considered
such architecture as fake and ornamented.
The prevalence of the international style in architecture
history also explains why until now the streamline architecture
has never been considered as a real architecture worth to
be studied and is mostly unknown by the general public.
In
America, the streamline architecture would remain an element
reserved mostly to public buildings. Many americans could
simply not afford the costs linked to such architectures (corner
windows were extremely expensive) and the idea of a private
streamline house as such was not so popular even if the magazines
of the time would like one to think so.
As a matter of facts, it is said that americans embraced the
streamline style (which pervaded almost everything) mostly
in the kitchen and bathroom yet longed for a neo colonial
setting in the rest of their homes
The streamline design style would still pervade in the US,
even after the 2 WW, but would became much more subtle: since
it s early influence was based on new technology like cars
and airplanes, the 1950s jet age was still an environment
in which rounded shapes were easily accepted.
How to recognise Streamline Modern(e):
Smooth, rounded cornes often replaced sharp ones on Moderne
buildins, especially on corner lots. "Eyebrows" swept around
them as did other details. Street corners became inviting
architectural focal points, whether the special treatment
employed was based upon curves or angles.
Like earlier Art Deco buildings, The Moderne style incorporated
smooth and articulated stucco, architectural glass block,
keystone and a variety of metals used in detailing. Predominating
surfaces became smooth, planer and aerodynamic in character.
Continuous "eyebrows", racing stripe banding, radio tower-like
spires, portholes, and deck railings like those found on grand
ocean liners, were among theunique features to set this architecture
apart from anything before it. The creative incorporation
of nautical themes showed this form of Art Deco to be true
to its origins of Streamline Moderne Architecture.