WPA Discussion and Live Q&A with Living New Deal Advisor, John Thomas 06.11 @ 2pm

Long Beach Architecture Week will present a special lecture on the interwar era Art Deco architecture of Long Beach by expert and enthusiast John Thomas, co-author of Long Beach Art Deco, past president of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles. The lecture is entitled A New Deal for Long Beach Architecture: Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and The Influence of the Modern Design Movement, 1925-1940. Thomas will discuss the design influences of Art Deco and its variant Streamline Moderne, which shaped Long Beach during the period of rapid growth from 1925 through 1940 including reconstruction after the 1933 earthquake that destroyed many Long Beach Schools. Using both vintage and contemporary photography, he will bring to life the use of “modern” architecture in Public Works Administration and related New Deal projects. A brief discussion of noted architects who left a lasting “Deco era” imprint on the local landscape will follow.

Purchase tickets here.