Wellington and Napier, New Zealand
by Barbara Radcliffe Rogers, Modernism
Date: Summer 2006
Publication: Modernism
Placement: Illustrated Magazine Feature, pages
118-123
Viewership: 50,000
Photographer: Stillman Rogers
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Art Deco was hot in 1931. Jazzy in form, functional and unfussy, it eschewed cast-iron ornaments and brick construction in favor of sleek, sturdy reinforced concrete. It was cheap to build. And most important for seismic-active New Zealand, it could withstand earthquakes. So when Napier, a quiet seaside town of 1600 people on North Island, was leveled by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 1931, it rose from the rubble as a showcase of Art Deco.
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