Art Deco in the United States Match Quiz | Humanities

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This building was built as an annex of Wanamaker's Department Store.

Answer: Lincoln-Liberty Building (1932)

Located at 1 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, the Lincoln-Liberty Building is 472 feet tall and has 28 stories. Architect John Torrey Windrim designed the building. Much of the original ornate facade on the lower part of the building was removed during renovations in the 1950s.

At one time Wanamaker's Department Stores had a facility in the first seven stories of the building, before it was purchased by PNB Bank in 1952. The bell tower contains a 17-ton "Founder's Bell" commissioned in honor of John Wanamaker, that rings on the hour daily except for Sundays.

2. This was the tallest building west of the the Mississippi River for over 30 years.

Answer: Kansas City Power and Light Building (1931)

Located at 1330 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, MO, the building stands 476 feet tall and has 34 floors (including two basement levels). The building was the tallest in the western United States until the construction of the Space Needle in Seattle, WA.

The building is topped with an ornate Art Deco lantern that features red-orange lights. Originally a commercial building, it transitioned to an apartment building beginning in 2014. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Holt, Price & Barnes.

3. This building has doubled as the "Daily Planet" on television.

Answer: Los Angeles City Hall (1928)

Located at 200 North Spring Street in Los Angeles, CA, the building was built from 1926 to 1928. The building stands 454 feet tall and has 32 floors. Restrictions on buildings taller than 150 feet until the 1960s helped to make City Hall one of the distinct buildings of Los Angeles.

The central tower was inspired by the Tomb of Mausolus (often called the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). An observation room open to the general public occupies the 27th floor. John Parkinson, John C. Austin, and Albert C. Martin, Sr. were the designing architects.

In addition to appearing in the 1950s television series "Superman", the building has been featured both as itself and as other buildings in many movies and television series.

4. For several decades, the Miss America Pageant was held here.

Answer: Atlantic City Convention Hall (1929)

Located at 2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ, the building was renamed Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in 2017. Shorter than many of the other buildings in this quiz, Convention Hall stands 132 feet high with a main building measuring 456 feet by 310 feet.

At the time of its construction, it was one of the largest enclosed spaces in the world and was designed by the architectural firm of Lockwood, Greene & Co. In addition to hosting the Miss America Pageant, the facility also hosted the 1964 Democratic National Convention as well as various sporting and music events.

It is well known for its enormous pipe organ with over 33,000 pipes.

5. This was the largest, not tallest, building in the world when it opened.

Answer: Merchandise Mart (1930)

Located at 222 Merchandize Mart Plaza in Chicago, IL, the building contains 4,000,000 square feet of floor space. The building was large enough that it had its own zip code from the 1960s until 2008. It was originally built for Marshall Field & Co. Alfred P. Shaw of the firm Graham, Anderson, Probst and White designed the building.

The building stands 340 feet tall and has 18 stories. Details such as corner pavilions help to mask the sheer bulk of the building. In the lobby, a series of 17 murals designed by Jules Guerin show worldwide commerce.

6. This building can be briefly seen in the 1960 film "Psycho".

Answer: Professional Building (1932)

Located at the intersection of North Central Avenue and Monroe Street, Phoenix, AZ, the Professional Building stands 171 feet tall and has 12 stories. It was designed by the architectural firm of Morgan, Walls & Clement. A two-story base has a tower and a wing on the western side of the building.

The appearance of the building in "Psycho" is part of a pan across downtown Phoenix. The large Valley National Bank sign seen on the building was added in the 1950s. In 2015, the then-vacant office building transitioned to becoming a hotel.

7. This building was the tallest in the world for almost a year.

Answer: Chrysler Building (1930)

Located at 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, the Chrysler building stands 1,046 feet tall and has 77 stories. The final occupiable floor of the building is at 889 feet with the antenna spire making up the remaining height. The Empire State Building would become the world's tallest building when it neared construction in 1931. Built for the Chrysler Corporation, the building would serve as headquarters from 1930 until the 1950s.

The Chrysler Building has over 3,800 exterior windows and metal gargoyles can be found at the 31st story mark. "Nirosta" steel is used extensively in its exterior features.

8. This building is sometimes described as "Huey Long's monument".

Answer: Louisiana State Capitol (1932)

This building, located at 900 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, LA, was built from 1930 to 1932. Huey Long, who served as both Governor of and Senator from Louisiana, played an important role in the building of the structure. Standing 450 feet tall, the Capitol Building has 34 stories and was designed by the firm of Weiss, Dreyfous and Seiferth.

The facade features many sculptures and friezes illustrate many features of Louisiana history and symbols. The building was featured in the 1975 television movie "The Deadly Tower" and the 2006 feature film "All the King's Men".

9. This was the tallest building in its city for over 40 years.

Answer: American Insurance Union Citadel (1927)

After the American Insurance Union went bankrupt, the building was renamed the Lincoln-LeVeque Tower in 1946 and the LeVeque Tower in 1977. Located at 50 West Broad Street, Columbus, OH, the building stands 555 feet tall and has 47 stories. At the time it was built, it was the tallest building in Columbus (a title it retained until 1974) and the fifth tallest building in the world.

Inspired by Byzantine architecture, the exterior was constructed in cream-colored terracotta. Several ornate sculptures were originally found on the facade of the building at 495 feet and higher and it also had mooring capabilities for zeppelins.

10. This became the home of the Durham Museum in 1973.

Answer: Union Station (1931)

Designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the Union Terminal or Union Passenger Station was built in 1931 at 801 South Tenth Street, Omaha, NE. The designer described the building this way: "We have tried to express the distinctive character of the railroad: strength, power, masculinity." The building is noted for large marble columns and oak woodwork. While over 1.5 million passengers visited in its first year, Union Station ceased operating as a railroad station in 1971. The Durham Museum focuses on the history and heritage of the western United States.

As a side note, this is the one of these buildings that I personally visited (as the Durham Museum) when I was in Omaha in June 2012.

Source: Author bernie73

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Art Deco in the United States Trivia Quiz

The art deco style of architecture was very common in the first half of the 20th century. Match these ten art deco buildings with the brief description.

Questions		Choices
1. This building was built as an annex of Wanamaker's Department Store.		Louisiana State Capitol (1932)
2. This was the tallest building west of the the Mississippi River for over 30 years.		Atlantic City Convention Hall (1929)
3. This building has doubled as the "Daily Planet" on television.		Lincoln-Liberty Building (1932)
4. For several decades, the Miss America Pageant was held here.		Merchandise Mart (1930)
5. This was the largest, not tallest, building in the world when it opened.		Los Angeles City Hall (1928)
6. This building can be briefly seen in the 1960 film "Psycho".		American Insurance Union Citadel (1927)
7. This building was the tallest in the world for almost a year.		Union Station (1931)
8. This building is sometimes described as "Huey Long's monument".		Kansas City Power and Light Building (1931)
9. This was the tallest building in its city for over 40 years.		Chrysler Building (1930)
10. This became the home of the Durham Museum in 1973.		Professional Building (1932)