Warner Brothers Building - Dallas, TX - Art Deco - Art Nouveau on Waymarking.com

"A variety of businesses have occupied the building over the years including a rubber test facility, and services dispatch. Now vacant, the building retains its architectural character and is considered one of the best examples of the Zig Zag Moderne style in Dallas. Designed by New Orleans architects Weiss, Dreyfous and Seifert in the Zigzag Moderne style, this building is the only historic film distribution property in Dallas that reflects the opulence of the film industry in its design.

The building of tan brick has a black granite entry surround with cast stone ornamentation above. This entry element has strong vertical lines and extends above the adjacent bulk of the building. At the main 3-story mass of the building, articulated vertical columns create a three-dimensional relief to the facade and are capped with cast stone parapet caps. The original metal windows remain at the front facade. The base of the building was cast stone cladding remains although the original window openings have been filled in with stone; it is not known if the original windows remain behind this or not. The rear and side facades are red common brick.

508 Park Avenue is one of the finest examples of Zigzag Modeme style in Dallas and reflects many of the typical characteristics of this style: strong vertical emphasis, stepped-back or faceted vertical planes, cast stone decorative cornice (with a stylized broad-leafed abstracted plants), and Art Deco accents. Art Deco, a decorative style stimulated by the Paris Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes in 1925, featured vertical massing, and surface ornamentation of angular geometric forms such as zigzags, chevrons, and stylized floral motifs. This style was embraced in America, as it was truly 'modem' and renounced revival styles and applied ornamentation; it was widely used in skyscrapers in the late 1920's and 1930's throughout the United States. The related Zigzag Moderne style incorporates classically inspired ornamentation and some vertical Gothic influence and is the most decorative of the three modes. This mode is characterized by a strong vertical emphasis, sharp angular or zigzag surface forms and ornaments, and combines contrasting materials such as light colored stone or terra cotta with darker marbles and granites, often used with extensive use of metals in decorative applications. A unique aspect of this mode is the serrated or faceted building form, with setbacks of different vertical planes of the building, often with prominent, ornamented building entrances. Ornamentation was often incorporated into the building materials, with cast or cut stone reflecting shapes, stylized animal or floral designs; these were often combined with geometric shapes such as circles, linear motifs and the ever-popular zigzag."