| think there is much more to Art Deco than this,
| especially worth a closer study would be two questions...
| (1) how new functional types were absorbed into the
| fabric, and (2) how design-supply chains were created
| in 1930s to overcome the shortage of Architects (the
| Deco stock was built by what? 500 architects in India?)
Geometry of good living
Once considered unattractive architecture, art deco buildings are now
prime real estate. Once considered unattractive architecture, art deco
buildings are now prime real estate This, despite many residents not
owning their homes
Alaka Sahani
Mumbai, July 28: Some Mumbaikars live like royalty. For a roomy
three-bedroom apartment with a servant’s room, done in the spacious art
deco style in the heart of space-crunched south Mumbai, home can’t be
called anything less. Especially if you throw in some etched glass,
metal grills, mosaic floors, wide teak doors, high ceilings and a
geometric extravaganza of a balcony and porch.
Take a walk down Maharshi Karve Road. This swathe, facing the Oval
Maidan, is a row of charmingly decorated edifices with names from the
Raj, like Green Fields, Queen’s Court, Windsor House, Firuz Ara, Palm
Court and Empress Court. There are more in and around Marine Drive and
Dadar Parsi Colony. These buildings, dating back to the ’30s and the
’40s, can also be spotted dotting Parel, Matunga, Shivaji Park,
Jogeshwari and Andheri.
....
“Art deco architecture caught on in Mumbai soon after the Paris
exposition in 1920, with its modern plan as well as decorative motifs
and articulation. With this becoming popular among those who wanted to
move away from colonial and gothic styles, it also became an expression
of nationalism,” recalls Joshi.
Today though the art deco structures in heritage precincts of Marine
Drive and Dadar are under a watchful eye, many others are withering
away. “When private owners carry out a change in the building, we don’t
have any say,” says Joshi.
cont'd....
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=248177