American Streamlined Design

Streamline Moderne - A Natural for Transportation Applications

by Clifton Bertram

By the 1930s, the combination of advances in materials science and propulsion combined with the design principles of Art Deco and the functional aesthetic of the Futurists to culminate in Streamline Moderne. A vigorous and well-recognized style in architecture, it was to prove equally influential in other design arenas, from toasters to transportation.

In a stylistic orgy of advanced materials such as stainless steel, bakelite, chrome and aluminum, in its transportation applications, Streamline Moderne was unashamedly fixated on aerodynamics, speed and motion. One of the earliest examples is the innovative Lockheed Vega (1928), made famous by aviation pioneers such as Wiley Post and Amelia Earhart.

Designed by the talented Jack Northrop, it marked the limits of wooden design and single-engine performance. It had a streamlined, smoothly rounded monocoque fuselage that was made of molded plywood in two halves and glued together to produce an extremely smooth surface. It had no external struts or wires to break its smooth look and was what Northrop called "clean." The plane had cantilever (internally braced) wings set above the fuselage, a feature that had been introduced by the Dutch aeronautical pioneer Anthony Fokker in the early 1920s, and a similarly constructed tail assembly. Its wing design helped give the aircraft its superior speed.

The first automobile to exemplify the new Streamline Moderne aesthetic was the 1934 Chrysler Airflow. Engineer and designer Car Breer drew inspiration from aerodynamic principles after a trip to Selfridge AFB, and set in motion a 30-year period in automotive manufacturing where aircraft design principles became a visual manifestation of the swaggering technological confidence of the era.

"That 1934 Chrysler Airflow was Chrysler's first unit-construction car. It fundamentally changed the architecture of the American automobile by placing the passengers between the axles for a vastly improved ride. In moving the passenger cabin forward and down, the Airflow was Chrysler's first "cab forward" design. The Airflow coupe was also one of the first American cars to conceal the spare tire in the trunk. Further, the 1934 Chrysler Custom Imperial Airflow CW Limousine was the first American car to incorporate a curved, one-piece windshield. But as with many changes from the norm, the Airflow was not a commercial success and its significance in design ingenuity would not be realized until years later."

- Chrysler Design Institute website

Despite the Airflow's poor sales, the 'aircraft' aspect of ground vehicles was emphasized more and more as time went by, culminating in the fantastic and exaggerated fins of the late 1950s and early 1960s, as exemplified by the 1960 Chrysler Imperial.

Trains were subject to the streamlining craze as much, if not more so, than any other mode of transportation. Even while steam locomotives were still in wide usage, operators such as Canadian National Railways took delivery of streamlined, snorting monsters, which were further augmented by the advent of modern diesel and diesel-electrics, culminating in the first bullet trains (or Shinkansen), and ultimately the streamlined monorail in which thousands travel during trips to Disney World.

Over time, even less visibly 'speedy' objects inherited the streamline style, from tractors to toasters to trailers, design cues which are still evident today in today's postmodern era, in modern airliners, sportscars and watercraft.

When the combined impact of Streamline Moderne is considered, on both transportation and architecture, it's hard not to conclude that it was one of the most influential design movements of the 20th century.

(Photos 3 and 5 copyright 2010 by Clifton Bertram)

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Lesser-Known London Landmarks No. 4 - 577 Oxford Street East

The clinic of Dr. S.J. Weinberger, Pediatric Dentist and Orthodontist. An outstanding and well-preserved example of Streamline Moderne amidst the forest of Victorian Revival that is downtown London.

Lesser Known London Landmarks No. 3 - 267 Victoria St.

This residence was built in 1923, and is officially considered Art Deco, although the first signs of Streamline Moderne are very evident.

It is designated as a Priority 2 Building on London's inventory of heritage buildings, and thus "warrants designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act on application by the owner" due to its " significant architectural / historical value".

Lesser-Known London Landmarks No. 1 - Art Novelty Co. Building

Now owned by Murray Prepress, Ltd., and before that by Dobbyn Creative Printing for over 60 years, this fine example of Streamline Moderne commercial/industrial building started life housing an enterprise called the Art Novelty Company in the 1940s, mostly printing calendars.

The curved corner, glass block windows and Helvetica fonts on this building at the corner of Wellington Road and Grand Ave. are all well-preserved.