Paramount Building

Abstract

BY THE mid-1920s, architects were no longer trying to disguise their buildings under layers of classical design, but instead were looking for new ways to show off the setback style. Rapp & Rapp wanted to display a form that had never been seen before, at least outside of Mesoamerica. Their 33-story ziggurat in Times Square, then the tallest building on Broadway north of the Woolworth Building, is a fascinating transition from classical revival to Art Deco styling.