2. Riva Apartments

Sometimes architecture presents us with mysteries. In this case, what is the origin of the bird featured in low relief above the entrance to the Riva Apartments, at 1515 Macombs Road in Morris Heights?

In addition to simple geometric shapes, some Art Deco buildings incorporated decorative elements from ancient cultures. Riva Apartments, built about 1931, is a good example. In addition to the bird, the building includes jagged brick patterning which added variation to what otherwise would be a rather monotonous 300-foot long frontage. Riva Apartments also features other reliefs set as extensions of the brick banding. These embellishments seem to reference a classical source, possibly ancient Egypt although other origins are possible as we were unable to locate any information about the building’s design. (Please provide any insights on these designs in the comments.)

As a contrast, consider the Riva Apartments’ neighbor to the south, 1505 Macombs Road which is a run-of-the-mill Art Deco, composed primarily of beige brick with red and brown trim used to express horizontal and vertical lines. Two Art Deco buildings, but two very different applications of the style.

1505 Macombs Road, built 1936. Architect: I.L. Crausman