Chicago Architecture Center gets up close on Art Deco high-rises
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Street view of the Carbide and Carbon Building. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
From the Carbide and Carbon to the Chrysler, a new exhibition at the Chicago Architecture Center showcases Art Deco high-rises.
Catch up quick: The Art Deco style of architecture rose to prominence in the 1920s and '30s and is defined by the use of geometric shapes and detailed patterns from a variety of materials including stucco, terra cotta and aluminum.
- New York's Chrysler Building and the Sun Realty Building in Los Angeles are well-known examples.
Zoom in: The exhibition features drone photographs taken by Chris Hytha that allow visitors to see the ornate details impossible to see from the sidewalk at the top of Art Deco buildings in Chicago and elsewhere in the U.S.
What to expect: A model of one of Chicago's most famous buildings in this architectural style, the Carbide and Carbon Building at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Place, is on display in front of one of Hytha's large-scale photographs.
- The photographs also highlight architecture from smaller cities, including the Gas Light Building in Milwaukee and the Tulsa Public Market and Tower.
If you go: It's free with admission to the center, which is open daily from 9am to 7pm, Sundays until 5pm.
The latest: Hytha and historian Mark Houser are talking about their book "Highrises: Art Deco" at 5:30pm tonight at the Chicago Architecture Center.
- It's free, but you have to register.