Kenmore Hotel

Kenmore Hotel, 1936
1050 Washington Avenue
Architect: Anton Skislewicz (American, born Croatia, 1895–1980)

(Please see image 1, 2)

The stacked lines that decorate the Kenmore Hotel echo the streamlined minimalism of the Sunbeam toaster. In both cases, the goal is to emphasize form with an economy of ornament. The lines running along the front of the toaster recall the design of Art Deco skyscrapers, and the decoration on the Kenmore façade does something similar, drawing the eye upward to produce a feeling of vertical rise.

(Please see image 3)

Toaster, Sunbeam Silent Automatic, model no. T-1-C, 1935
Chrome-plated steel, Bakelite
Designer: Alfred F. Fukal (American, 1896–1974)
Manufacturer: Chicago Flexible Shaft Co., Chicago
The Wolfsonian–FIU, Gift of Juda Greenzaid, 2010.5.3