Deco Connections

Jewels In The Crown!

2007-06-09T11:19:00.001-07:00

When we visited Australia & New Zealand... imprinted on the street were the words Look Right. Most travelers came from countries where the traffic came from the left!.

The motto for Deco Fans might be Look Up!

Casino Building
West Crockett & North Press San Antonio, Texas

Quest Building,
Minneapolis Minnesota

Eastern Columbia Building, Los Angeles, CA

Hecht Warehouse, 1401 New York Avenue NE, Washington DC

And if you're interested in the Raj... be sure to see The Jewel In The Crown

Return To The Paramount

2007-05-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

I took some photos of the Paramount & Rheem Theaters a few months ago... and realized it was time to update them. So.. made an early morning and late evening trip to capture the images I really wanted.

Here for your viewing pleasure... In Oakland - Broadway's Magnin, Paramount & Breuner's Buildings... San Pablo Avenue Bus Station.

Then to the Orinda Theater and Rheem Theater in Moraga.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Ira

The Curves Of New Mexico

2007-05-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Route 66 Diner, Central Avenue (just east of downtown) Albuquerque

Carrizozo Woman's Club.... Carrizozo New Mexico (East of Trinity Site and and North of Alamogord0)

Park & Lark

2007-05-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

My last blog post talked about the late Park Theater in Lafayette.

Carol excitedly told me about the SF Chronicle article about the Lark Theater in Larkspur! Turns out that the "Lark was designed by the late African American architect William B. David, who also did the Park Theater in Lafayette, the Tower Theatre in Sacramento" I think that the Tower Theater was the original location of Tower Records.

There's a non-profit group seeking to raise $400,000 to keep the theater in business. If you'd like to help, visit their webs site at http://www.larktheater.net

East of San Francisco Deco

2007-04-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

Lamorinda = Lafayette, Moraga & Orinda

St. Mary's College of California has a jewel of an art museum.... the Hearst Art Gallery. Only a few rooms large, but when they have an exhibit, it's beautifully curated.

I went to see "Paper Cuts: The Art of Contemporary Paper" and the art work was exquisite. Alas... the show closed today.

The last time we were there was to view "Out of Time: 20th Century Designs for the Future"

And that's what brought me to the Lamorinda area east of the Berkeley Hills.

Lamorinda has some of the most unusual Deco Architecture in the Bay Area! The Orinda Theater and Rheem Theater both show first run movies... the Park Theater, alas is closed.

Here's what awaits you on your journey. My older photos of the Orinda Theater don't do it justice - it's time to return one night!

Ira

Connected By Proximity

2007-03-24T13:38:00.001-07:00

Oops.. I posted this on the wrong blog by mistake!

Oakland has some amazing deco.. including the Paramount Theater and the Flower Building.

I took Carol to breakfast at the Oakland Grill, then to see the California as Muse: The Art of Arthur & Lucia Mathews exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California. The light wasn't quite right, but I thought I'd still take some photos for you.

The Mathews Exhibit closes tomorrow. We saw some of my favorite pieces... but was most "wowed" by the frames!

Neon Theater Marquees

2007-03-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Cerrito Theater - A recreation of a theater I never knew existed! El Cerrito, CA

Rafael Theater, San Rafael, CA

Aero Theater, Santa Monica, CA

Aztec Theater, San Antonio, TX

Much more to come!

Lobbies

2007-03-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

Some spaces are simply breathtaking!

Not my best composed photos... but they give you a sense of the extraordinary details of the Chrysler Building elevator doors... and the lobby and mosaic details of the Film Center Building on 9th Avenue.

And, the Empire State Building... with a stunning mural in the lobby. Enter the 5th Avenue entrance for the most astonishing view.

All in Midtown Manhattan.

New York City

New York

My home town!

Towers

2007-03-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

A bit of my photographic style.

I try to frame the photos so that I don't have to crop them later.

Photoshop? Not much fun for me (though I will be using the channel filters to convert color photos to black + white)

And I love to use a circular polarizing filter.

So... just about every photo posted on this site is exactly as I photographed it!

The first one? Once was a furniture store in Oakland on San Pablo Avenue near Clay Street. The signage caught my eye as I was heading down to the IRS Office in the Downtown Federal Building, and I made a note to drive by after the audit.

Yes.. my return was unchanged (I'm trained as an engineer... and engineers love precision and accuracy).

But the real benefit of the audit.. the chance to take photos at a truly remakable example of Art Deco commercial signage.

And the other two?

Los Angeles!

We attend mastermind groups with some extraordinary Realtors several times a year, and our trip to LA gave us the opportunity to visit (and revisit) some of my favorite LA Deco sites.

The middle photos is "Crossroads of the World" in Hollywood.

And the bottom photo is the Alex Theater in Glendale.

I'll get you the addresses later... right now it's 12:28 am, Poudini is scratching the glass of the French Doors to get out, and it's time to go to bed. The iced tea I had at my friend Barbara Kaplan's house did its job keeping me up late tonight!

Ira

Deco Connections

2007-03-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Art Deco architecture. As I travel the world, I try to photograph my favorite buildings.

And soon I started seeing connections.

A sculpture at Hoover Dam and one in the Rand Tower in Minneapolis. I took one look at the sculpture in the Rand Town and instantly knew it was by the same sculptor. A quick google search and I learned it was Oskar Hansen

The Bas Relief at Berkeley High School... and a mosaic at Rockefeller Center.

The Daily News Building in New York City... and the Newspaper Building in Melbourne, Australia.

This blog is dedicated to Deco Connections.

Thanks for visiting!

Ira Serkes