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Identifying feature

Stepped setback

Upper floors set back from the street in stages as a building rises. New York's 1916 zoning law required these setbacks so light could reach the street, as on many Art Deco skyscrapers.

a sign of these styles

Chrysler Building, New York: an example of Art Deco Art Deco c. 1925–1940 Jazz-age glamour: towers stepping back as they rise, strong vertical lines, and zigzag or sunburst ornament. Moscow State University main building, Moscow, Russia: an example of Stalinist Classicism Stalinist Classicism c. 1933–1955 Soviet power in wedding-cake tiers: colossal colonnades, sculpted workers, and spired towers stepping into the sky.

also seen on

Mayan RevivalPueblo Revival

often seen with

Carved stone relief Figures or patterns carved into stone so they project from a flat background, called low relief when shallow… Flat roof A roof that is level or nearly level, often edged by a low wall called a parapet. Battered wall A wall built with a batter, meaning it slopes inward as it rises and is thicker at the base. Geometric ornament Decoration made of zigzags, chevrons (V shapes), stepped forms and other repeated geometric shapes instead… Vertical pier Narrow vertical bands of stone or brick, called piers, running the full height of a facade between recessed… Colonnade A row of evenly spaced columns carrying a horizontal beam, called an entablature, or a roof. Courtyard An open-air space enclosed by the walls of a building or group of buildings. Monumental stairway A wide outdoor staircase leading up to a building's main entrance, often spanning much of the front.