Rabat – Step aside, 1943 classic “Casablanca” – there’s more to see in the glittering city. Today, Morocco’s largest city is the business and economic capital of the country with many new high rise buildings and a sleek tramway system spanning the city. It’s hard to ignore the architectural brilliance of the enormous Hassan II mosque towering over the Atlantic Ocean, with tourists visiting the city should place it top of their ‘must see’ list. However, for fans of history and 20th-century design in particular, the city has numerous Art Deco buildings just waiting to be discovered.
Relics of the not-so-distant past
Developed in the 1920s was a hedonistic reaction to the austerity caused by the First World War, the Art Deco movement was debuted in 1925 at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris — referred to as ‘Arts Décoratifes’ until the 1960s, when it came to be known simply as ‘Art Deco.’
The zeitgeist of a desire for luxury could be seen in the use of gold and ornamentation, geometric symmetry, and verticality. These characteristics were most notable on building designs; the use of sleek lines signified the focus on technological advancement of the time and a momentum towards a modern and optimistic future.
Discoveries in Egyptology in the early 1920s and a blend of Asian influences added flavors and features from around the world, giving the movement a global futurist feel at the time. The style was seen in advertising, clothing, household objects, and transport as well as architecture.
Growing from the pre-war design movement Art Nouveau, the devastation of the war experienced across the globe can be seen as a watershed that divides and distinguishes the two styles. Films like “The Great Gatsby” 2013 starring Leonardo DiCaprio and the 1939 film “Wizard of Oz” – which depicts the futuristic titular city – adopt the Art Deco aesthetic. Even fans of Tolkien can pick out themes of Art Deco and Art Nouveau in the cities and styles of the Elves and Dwarves.
Hiding in plain sight in Casablanca.
Art Deco arrived in Casablanca through French colonial rule, resulting in the construction of buildings in both the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Today these buildings are in various states of disrepair and renovation. Often hiding in plain sight, you can spot an archway, a window, or a doorway that the city has seemingly enveloped.
Starting at Mohammed V park and walking southeast, these impressive buildings hang over the shops below and are easily missed as their white or grey exterior blends into the background and the eye is drawn to the brighter shops, restaurants and cafes below. These crumbling relics offer a window into the city’s colonial past with characteristic rounded corners and high rectangular windows.
First-time tourists to the city should keep a look out for these pieces of architectural archeology as they explore. The Art Deco movement impacted Casablanca along with cities such as Berlin, Paris, Miami, New York, Napier (New Zealand), and Shanghai, showing how truly global the style was. Ultimately, Casablanca’s place within that fleeting artistic movement still endures to this day – if you know where to look.
