Houston Deco

Houston Deco: Modernistic Architecture of the Texas Coast, the companion book to this Web site, is now available through the Preservation Houston online bookstore . Photographed by Preservation Houston staff members Jim Parsons and David Bush, this book documents Art Deco and Art Moderne buildings across southeast Texas through more than 100 origin... al color photographs. (The image on the cover is a detail of a lobby mural in Houston City Hall .) Houston Deco was published with generous support from the Houston Architecture Foundation and the Strake Foundation. Modernistic architecture, which encompasses Art Deco and Art Moderne design, flourished between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II. Although the style arrived in Houston comparatively late in the 1920s, it came at a critical time in the city's development, when Houston was beginning the transition from medium-sized Southern city to major American metropolis. Prior to 1927, most architect-designed buildings in Houston were either local versions of classical revival architecture or Victorian designs adapted for the city's hot, humid climate. Modernistic architecture's growing popularity coincided with a conscious effort by Houstons business and civic leaders to tie the citys image to the American West and de-emphasize its Southern heritage. For many Houstonians, modernistic buildings represented the citys future. The changes brought about by the arrival of modernistic architecture are clearly illustrated by the two tallest buildings constructed in Houston in the 1920s. The Niels Esperson Building (1927, right) is covered with detailing inspired by classical architecture, while the Gulf Building (1929, far right) is comparatively austere. Despite these differences, modernistic buildings did not completely break with the past. The Gulf Building is influenced by Gothic design, and many of the city's Art Deco buildings exhibit stylized versions of classical architectural details. Modernistic buildings are not concentrated in any one ...Read More