JAZZ DECO

Jazz deco was also the preferred style when built by the corporate America to impress. These structures exuded prestige and stability, yet also progressiveness. Numerous banks were designed in Art deco. Although being conservative in regards to style, in 1920s banks were trying to lure customers by creating a new look for their traditional bank buildings. No bank or business house that claimed progressiveness would stay in quarters that were cluttered and unattractive.

A large part of the appeal to patronage is based on the building that it occupies (Auger, Sept. 1931: 266)." Jazz-age Deco fit perfectly. Through this style, a bank could give the impression of being stylistic in an understated way. The facades of many of the Jazz-age Deco bank buildings are impressive in their geometric styles and the rich, subtle detailing that evokes a restrained elegance befitting a financial institution. Other structures that tended to apply the Jazz-age Deco style included many corporate headquarters buildings; especially those involved with new burgeoning industries such as automotive, electric utilities, and communication companies.

With the Jazz-age Deco, these promising new industries were able to convey the message that they were enterprises that would be a stable part of the economy and were destined to play prominent roles well into the future of modem society.