The Los Angeles Times recently visited Napier New Zealand, famous for it’s Art Deco Architecture.
Here’s an excerpt:
At 10:47 a.m. on Feb. 3, 1931, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale shook the town of Napier, onNew Zealand’s North Island, killing 161 people. The fires that followed consumed all but a few reinforced concrete buildings. In 21/2 minutes, Napier ceased to exist.In a bold move two years later, the residents of Napier broke with their colonial tradition and rebuilt the town in Art Deco style, made popular in Europe of the ’20s. This transformation made Napier a leading-edge architectural city and one of the most modern of its day.