Quote:
Originally Posted by badrunner
That's a bit like asking why your list of cities with the best Craftsman style architecture is American centric...
The list is American centric because art deco is largely American centric. It was popular around the world, but no other country has embraced the style to the extant that America has. Nobody has done more with the style. You ever wonder why there are no great art deco towers in the birthplace of art deco?
I would easily put Detroit's best against the best of Shanghai and Mumbai.
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Rio, to pick one example, has a huge collection of Art Deco, including towers. It is a global style, with representation in China, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico...all over. Now, best and biggest collections are also different conversations, which I mentioned in an earlier post. Skyscrapers and big train stations, government buildings, civic institutions, etc. make a big impression when it comes to these things, and I think they should be weighed more heavily than simple commercial structures that contain trace elements of art deco styling. In this sense, American cities probably do rise to the top. Surely the most iconic deco structures are buildings like the Chrystler, Empire State, etc. I've enjoyed reading about the prevalence of the style in Mumbai and Shanghai, though.