denisenewman

IMG_4450 - Art Deco, Town Square

A series of photos just to look at, not very good. To show the city of Napier New Zealand 'Art Deco capitol of the world!' Maybe to encourage good pho...
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A series of photos just to look at, not very good. To show the city of Napier New Zealand 'Art Deco capitol of the world!' Maybe to encourage good photographers to check this out :)
The area was devestated in an earthquake in 1931. Nearly all buildings in the central areas of Napier and Hastings were levelled. The Dominion noted that "Napier as a town has been wiped off the map and the death toll included 161 people in Napier, 93 in Hastings, and two in Wairoa. Thousands more were injured, with over 400 hospitalised.
The local landscape changed dramatically, with the coastal areas around Napier being lifted by around two metres.The most noticeable land change was the uplifting of some 40 km² of sea-bed to become dry land. Building regulations established as a result of this event mean that to this day, there are only four buildings in Hawke's Bay taller than five storeys, and as most of the region's rebuilding took place in the 1930s when Art Deco was fashionable, Hawke's Bay architecture is regarded today as being one of the finest collections of Art Deco in the world.
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