Art Deco

Art Deco style along M-25 in Bay City
The Art Deco style was popular from the 1920s into the 1940s. The style ranged from conservative design such as what was used in school houses, to the extravagant examples of movie theaters. But in either case, similar characteristics can be seen.

Art Deco was a "modern" style that used the newest construction techniques and materials in its design. Geometric patterns such as chevrons and zigzags, are found at the rooflines and around windows and doors. Projections from the side of the structure rise up above the roofline drawing the eye upwards.

Often figures or designs were cast into concrete and applied to the building. This style was perfect for the skyscraper but it was also used in smaller structures.

During the Depression years, most of the public buildings constructed as part of the New Deal used a modest institutional form of Art Deco style architecture. Post offices, city halls, courthouses, and school buildings constructed in the 1930s were all influenced to some extent by the style.

Another Art Deco style along M-25 in Bay City