The Story Below Tops This Picture
One February morning in Napier, on the East Coast of New Zealand´s North Island, the downtown elevation changed and gained almost 9 feet in two and a half minutes.
Most of their downtown buildings collapsed.
It was a 100-megaton 7.8 Richter scale earthquake.
The year, 1931. Hollywood and movie theaters were the rage. Art Deco was the style of the day.
Government rebuilding authorities approved only two commercial building styles. Art Deco was one of them. About two-thirds of the rebuilt downtown became Art Deco showpieces, but by the 1970s most became old and targets for teardown.
Fortunately, an influential visitor pointed out that what Napier had was the greatest concentration and collection of Art Deco buildings in the world. Perhaps, an effort should be made to restore them as an asset!
Napier listened, and today it is delightful to stroll around town in a bygone era. Bumping into people on the street in period clothing is common. A yearly Art Deco extravaganza occurs. Shops abound with Art Deco decorations, period clothing, jewelry, and art.
You might notice some tunes from the 30s in the air.
I can´t help but mention that Napier is also in the middle of the best area for NZ wines!
I got to visit there, learn, and thus my Art Deco fascination.
Residences in this style are uncommon. I vaguely recall running across one in the Los Angeles area. Someone had turned it into a dental office. It looked very much like this image.
When I came across this line drawing a few years later.
I couldn’t stop staring at it with those bold lines and presentation.
What does it look like from the inside?
Tiffany stained glass lamps. Colorful, draped banners. Period velvet furnishings. Crystal doo-dads casting mini-rainbows everywhere. The lighting effects from those glass block wall sections…
Of course, I did something to capture my now vivid imaginings!
I printed it. Grabbed some pencils. And colored it.
Blush pink stucco. I used primary colors for the architectural details. The whole time wishing to be inside..
Turns out, coloring a house you don’t own is weirdly powerful.
It slows you down. Pulls you in. Makes you imagine things you didn’t know you wanted.
That was the spark. The first step in a whole experiment—part dream, part doodle, part science.
Here’s where it all started →
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