Many years ago I did a lecture on WPA Projects in San Antonio, which were legion. From Brackenridge Park to Stinson Field and Alamo Plaza, the WPA left a large imprint on the city. Much of that imprint took the form of Art Deco styling, with its smooth contours, speed lines and continuous surfaces. I recently did a couple of San Antonio tours for friends and relatives, and many of our major downtown skyscrapers feature the Art Deco Style, with a difference.

Similarly, the Nix Memorial Hospital (1929 Henry Phelps) has Gothic and Classical details. It is also being converted into residential. I was born in this National Register landmark, although I hasten to point out it was listed under Criterion C, not Criterion A. It also has grotesques.

The Emily Morgan Hotel, which started life as a medical arts building in 1926 (Ralph Cameron), is similarly shaped and detailed.

Just next door, one of the great San Antonio WPA projects was the Federal Building and Post Office (1937, Cameron and Cret). Here, the contours of Art Deco were tempered by Classicism rather than Gothic.

Stinson Municipal Airport, founded as a flying school by Katherine and Marjorie Stinson in 1915, is a more stripped-down version of Art Deco.

Much of Art Deco was inspired by trains and the newish technology of the automobile, so it is not surprising that gas stations and houses of the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s made use of this speedy, dynamic style. Columns became stacked pylons and raised brick coursing suggested steamliners or aeroplanes….

While we are talking about Art Deco – two things: First, it is 100 years old! The Exposition internationale des arts decoratifs et industriells opened in Paris in April 1925! And secondly….

I was named an expert in a Redfin article! Check it out here: Vintage 1920–1940 Design Ideas You Can Use Now | Redfin_{(Parent company of ApartmentGuide and Rent.))}

Here is a fun quote from Victoria Charles’ book Art Deco:

“Some twenty countries participated in the exhibit. Germany was not invited because of its role in World War I, but Austria and Hungary were invited, as was the new Soviet Union, though it was not yet officially recognized by France. Many countries had exhibits of furniture and decoration within the Grand Palais, and also built pavilions to illustrate new ideas in architecture. Britain, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands all had substantial pavilions, as did the Scandinavian countries, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Japan had an important pavilion, while China had only a modest representation. The United States, not entirely understanding the purpose of the exhibit, chose not to participate.”