In 2018 the Chicago History Museum had an exhibition called Modern by Design: Chicago Streamlines America. In his Preface, Joseph Loundy says that this book is a companion to the exhibition. I didn't see the show but I would agree that this superb title is really the last word about the style in the city.
The first essay in the book, by Robert Bruegmann, discusses the problem of defining Art Deco in relation to fine art and broader aspects of creativity like architecture, interior design, consumer and industrial product design, et cetera. I think this is one of the strengths of the book because it covers the broad scope of Deco styling (actually, I prefer to call it Streamline, which narrows it down to an American style, Art Deco suggests a more European movement).
There are five essays before the main theme of the book: Key 101 designs. Over 258 pages this considers, in year order, how the style is represented in the city and environs. Starting in 1914 with Frank Lloyd Wright's Midway Gardens and running through to 1949 with the fascinating Phantom bicycle from the Schwinn company. In between, you'll see plenty of commercial buildings and their interiors, houses, exhibitions, transport, toys, graphic design and from 1930 a Hostess Twinkie, looking very much like a shroud that covered steam engines to give them a streamlined look during the Thirties.
All of the entries are illustrated, frequently with more than one image and this is another excellent aspect of the book (325 in all) the pictures are well researched and mostly big on the page. The back pages have copious notes, index and nicely two map pages, one of the center of the city, the other the suburbs, both maps point out where commercial buildings and houses can be seen.
Art Deco Chicago reveals a city full of deco delights.
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