Up today, we’re featuring what just might be the West Coast’s most perfect art deco venue….
In 1925, James Oviatt was already a successful businessman. His department store, Alexander & Oviatt, had been attracting a high-end Los Angeles clientele in downtown LA for nearly a decade. He was in the midst of plans for their next expansion, a new building, constructed from the ground up…
… when he took a business trip to Europe. The original building design was in Italian Romanesque style, but luckily for us, he happened to find himself in Paris at the dawn of a new age… 1925 was the year of Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the birthplace of Art Deco.
Oviatt was awed by these new designs, and upon his return to the States, he ordered the architects to construct the new building in the brand new style. He spared no expense, importing over ten tons of Lalique glass for use throughout the building.
And so the first true art deco building made its debut in Los Angeles in 1928 (and it included a 10 room art deco penthouse on top for Oviatt’s own residence.) The store closed in the 60s, but both the main space (a restaurant and venue now known as “Cicada“) and The Oviatt Penthouse are available for weddings and events, and they are the perfect backdrop to a Los Angeles art deco wedding. Take a look!
(also: If you are an art deco fan who happens to be visiting Los Angeles, be sure to check out the wonderful LA Conservancy and their incredible walking tours. They have an Art Deco Tour that features Cicada and the Oviatt Penthouse, and the other stops on the tour are a delight as well. They do great work!)
The Berkeley City Club is one of Northern California’s most beautiful vintage wedding venues: a gorgeous private social club, hotel and event venue, designed and built in the late 1920s by architect Julia Morgan. And it is absolutely, positively stunning. There’s both indoor and outdoor space and incredible architectural details throughout. This would be the …
Up today, a beautiful Chicago art deco wedding shoot from Spark + Tumble Photography. One of my favorite American cities, Chicago boasts incredible architecture around every corner, including the gorgeous buildings featured in this styled 1920s wedding shoot: the Madonna della Strada Chapel at Loyola University and The Powhatan Apartments. The details are amazing, …
What a lovely, classic Gatsby wedding inspiration shoot, sent to us from Melissa Anne Photography. Lots of oh-so-pretty elements in this shoot, with a nice mix of rustic outdoor beauty and glamorous vintage venue detailing at the elegant Arizona estate, Chateau de Vie. Photographer: Melissa Anne Photography // Makeup Artist: Arizona Bridal Stylist // Dress …
Today’s truly spectacular Art Deco vintage venue inspiration shoot showcases one of the most gorgeous buildings in the entire Pacific Northwest (and perhaps west of the Mississippi), Seattle’s Arctic Club Hotel. Stunning. Simply, perfectly, stunning. A Beaux-Arts beauty from 1918, and in today’s shoot, the perfect backdrop for some Art Deco wedding style from the …
Art Deco Venue | Cicada + The Oviatt Penthouse
Up today, we’re featuring what just might be the West Coast’s most perfect art deco venue….
In 1925, James Oviatt was already a successful businessman. His department store, Alexander & Oviatt, had been attracting a high-end Los Angeles clientele in downtown LA for nearly a decade. He was in the midst of plans for their next expansion, a new building, constructed from the ground up…
Photo via Flickr user Floyd B. Bariscale
… when he took a business trip to Europe. The original building design was in Italian Romanesque style, but luckily for us, he happened to find himself in Paris at the dawn of a new age… 1925 was the year of Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the birthplace of Art Deco.
Paris Art Exposition, c.1925
Oviatt was awed by these new designs, and upon his return to the States, he ordered the architects to construct the new building in the brand new style. He spared no expense, importing over ten tons of Lalique glass for use throughout the building.
And so the first true art deco building made its debut in Los Angeles in 1928 (and it included a 10 room art deco penthouse on top for Oviatt’s own residence.) The store closed in the 60s, but both the main space (a restaurant and venue now known as “Cicada“) and The Oviatt Penthouse are available for weddings and events, and they are the perfect backdrop to a Los Angeles art deco wedding. Take a look!
(also: If you are an art deco fan who happens to be visiting Los Angeles, be sure to check out the wonderful LA Conservancy and their incredible walking tours. They have an Art Deco Tour that features Cicada and the Oviatt Penthouse, and the other stops on the tour are a delight as well. They do great work!)
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Berkeley City Club || Vintage Venue
The Berkeley City Club is one of Northern California’s most beautiful vintage wedding venues: a gorgeous private social club, hotel and event venue, designed and built in the late 1920s by architect Julia Morgan. And it is absolutely, positively stunning. There’s both indoor and outdoor space and incredible architectural details throughout. This would be the …
Chicago Art Deco Wedding | Styled 1920s Wedding Shoot
Up today, a beautiful Chicago art deco wedding shoot from Spark + Tumble Photography. One of my favorite American cities, Chicago boasts incredible architecture around every corner, including the gorgeous buildings featured in this styled 1920s wedding shoot: the Madonna della Strada Chapel at Loyola University and The Powhatan Apartments. The details are amazing, …
Gatsby Wedding Inspiration | Arizona
What a lovely, classic Gatsby wedding inspiration shoot, sent to us from Melissa Anne Photography. Lots of oh-so-pretty elements in this shoot, with a nice mix of rustic outdoor beauty and glamorous vintage venue detailing at the elegant Arizona estate, Chateau de Vie. Photographer: Melissa Anne Photography // Makeup Artist: Arizona Bridal Stylist // Dress …
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Today’s truly spectacular Art Deco vintage venue inspiration shoot showcases one of the most gorgeous buildings in the entire Pacific Northwest (and perhaps west of the Mississippi), Seattle’s Arctic Club Hotel. Stunning. Simply, perfectly, stunning. A Beaux-Arts beauty from 1918, and in today’s shoot, the perfect backdrop for some Art Deco wedding style from the …