Answer to "Where?"

[libertango]

...which I asked here.

Asmara, Eritrea.

I was reading this post about pre-Japanese Occupation Shanghai (which I suspect was inspired by J.G. Ballard's death, but it doesn't say). Turns out Shanghai was quite the treasure trove of art deco architecture, some of which survives to this day.

Down in the comments, someone mentioned how while one may not be able to see Shanghai as it then was, Asmara, Eritrea is remarkably preserved, and possibly just as rich. You may be wondering how a pocket of art deco has survived in a relatively poor country in Africa. From his first link:

"During Mussolini's time, Italy invested a lot of capital and manpower in embellishing Eritrea's capital. Asmara was even dubbed Piccola Roma, although it of course never attained the historical importance of Italy's capital. Still, the Italians made Asmara a gem among African capitals, and this can be appreciated to present days. After the Italian period, also other western architects experimented with styles and it is thus possible to walk for hours in Asmara admiring curious and beautiful buildings.

Apart from the architecture, the city was also consciously planned and this planning still makes for an orderly city rarely seen elsewhere in this continent. It also makes visiting architectural highlights easy. One area was where Italian businessmen and well-off people lived. It is the area where many villas are now used as embassies, hotels, or schools. This part of Asmara has quiet corners, squares, trees and flowers, and it is a true pleasure walking around it and appreciating the beauty of it all. Best of all, it is possible to stay in these villas as some of them are now being used as hotels or guesthouses."

* This was his second link -- a search of Google images on "asmara architecture."

* This was his third link -- an article on streamline moderne, mentioning and comparing Asmara and Shanghai in passing.

*^*^*

When I asked this, I got one response, and it was correct. The answer appears to have been from David Thompson, who has his own blog on art deco, with a number of posts on Eritrea. (How did he find me? I have no idea.) Clearly a specialist, and well done to him.

Comments

[kateyule.livejournal.com]

You may be wondering how a pocket of art deco has survived in a relatively poor country...

Well, assuming the art deco was ever there to begin with, the relatively poor country is exactly where it will survive, because they don't have the money to tear it down and build something Newer and Better.

Bob Shaw pointed this out to us, apropos of Ireland's old-fashioned charm.

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

That appears to be exactly what happened. The interesting thing is how it got there in the first place.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Have you heard of Napier, New Zealand? It was destroyed by earthquake and fires in 1931. Quoting the linked page, "Nowhere else can you see such a variety of buildings in the styles of the 1930s - Stripped Classical, Spanish Mission, and above all Art Deco, the style of the 20th Century - in such a concentrated area. And Napier's Art Deco is unique, with Maori motifs and the buildings of Louis Hay, admirer of the great Frank Lloyd Wright."

[artdecobuildings.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

"The interesting thing is how it got there in the first place."

That certainly is a very interesting part of the story because it appears that Mussolini encouraged young Italian architects to go to Asmara and experiment with the latest architectural styles. Another part of the story is how the city survived The Struggle against Ethiopia where over 30 years much of Eritrea was decimated yet with the freedom fighters on the outskirts of Asmara the Ethiopian troops withdrew to quell an uprising at home sparing the city any major damage.

If you want to read my post about the Fiat Tagliero building you'll find it here (http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com/2008/04/fiat-tagliero-building-asmara.html) and I recommend the book Asmara - Africa's Secret Modernist City by Edward Denison, Guang Yu Ren & Naigzy Gebremedhin which has great photos of Asmara's wondering buildings.

I agree, Napier is also a fantastic deco city and they host an Art Deco weekend each February.