Pre-Nazi Swastika Architectural Details

I traveled into the Twelve Mile Circle — the Delaware geo-oddity that inspired the name for this site — while visiting with some dear friends last weekend. In Wilmington, at Rodney Square specifically, I happened to glance up. There I noticed the wonderful Egyptian Revival architectural details on the Wilmington Public Library. My earlier Egyptian Revival Churches research somehow sensitized me to the style. So I suppose that offered evidence that I’ve actually learned a few things while publishing this rag. Now I could bore my companions with additional tales of trivial knowledge.


An Unexpected Sight

Wilmington Public Library - Rodney Square. Photo by howderfamily.com; (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Wilmington Public Library

Then I noticed the swastika. I already understood that it was an ancient symbol. It existing for thousands of years before the Nazis co-opted it and converted it into a symbol of hate.(¹) As the US Holocaust Memorial Museum explained:

“The swastika has an extensive history. It was used at least 5,000 years before Adolf Hitler designed the Nazi flag. The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit svastika, which means ‘good fortune’ or ‘well-being’… In the beginning of the twentieth century the swastika was widely used in Europe… Despite its origins, the swastika has become so widely associated with Nazi Germany that contemporary uses frequently incite controversy.”

I Couldn’t Have Agreed More

The Wilmington swastika jumped like a bolt into my consciousness by its mere existence. That happened even though I understood its historical usage on an intellectual level. It reflects the severely negative connotations forever associated with its later usage. Edward Lippincott Tilton, a master architect of public libraries in the United States, could not have foreseen the result of his decorative choice when he designed the building in 1922. Likely it would have appalled him had he not passed away before the war.

The Wilmington Public Library included various architectural details based on classical ideals. None of them became the least bit controversial except for the swastika. Feel free to check some of them out on Street View. I’m a fan of the little owl sculptures on the second-floor window ledges.

How Unusual Is This?

I posted my discovery on a 12MC social media page(²). Reader “Benjamin” kindly posted a couple of links including a vintage photo with an advertisement for Swastika Sodas and a page on the Early Use of the Swastika in Washington State. That led me to wonder about the prevalence of swastikas as a North American architectural detail during the early 20th Century. You know, before such usage became unthinkable.

More examples survived than I could have possibly imagined, both in clockwise and counter-clockwise orientations. Below are just a few that I noticed either photographically or on Street View.


Skillman Branch Library, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Opposite Ends. Photo by It's just a hobby; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Notice the decorative fret running around the Skillman Branch Library perimeter. This included both attached and standalone swastikas (also visible in Street View). Historically, the library dated to 1931/32 [link no longer works]. They originally called it the Downtown Library until its extensive renovation and re-opening [link no longer works] in 2003.

The Skillman Branch derives most of its recognition as the location of the extensive National Automotive History Collection.


Lampposts, Glendale, California, USA

Glendale lamppost. Photo by Jeremy Sternberg; (CC BY-NC 2.0)

The City of Glendale, California erected a series of cast iron lampposts along some of its busier downtown commercial and residential streets in the 1920’s. Notably they adorned Broadway between Glendale Avenue and Brand Boulevard. So more than 900 vintage lampposts included decorative swastika bands within their design. In response to a complaint, the City Attorney conducted an extensive evaluation in 1995 and concluded,

“The contention was that these approximately 2 inch by 3 inch symbols encircling the base of these old lampposts, were Nazi swastikas, were offensive and should be removed… Not a scintilla of evidence exists to indicate that the counter clockwise swastika design at the base of the lampposts was intended as a political or other statement in support of any group or organization.”

The City Attorney offered several alternatives including “take no action and preserve the lampposts as they are“. An April 2011 Street View image seemed to confirm that selection.


Jefferson County Courthouse, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Swastikas also appeared on columns outside of the main entrance to the Jefferson County courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama. This granite and limestone Art Deco building dated to 1929, as designed by the noted Chicago architectural firm Holabird & Root.

The building’s National Register of Historic Places application listed numerous exterior architectural details.

“Bas-relief sculpture adds subtle and sometimes elegant decorative detailing to the facade. Particularly notable are the series of sculptures by Leo Friedlander symbolizing attributes associated with the seat of justice and cultural and political influences from the county’s past. Over the west entrance the panels depict the Indians, the Spanish, the French, early American settlement, the Confederacy, and the English. Other panels of the building symbolize vigilance, power, justice, and mercy. Columns topped with the American motif of New World corn flank the main entrance. Handsome Art Deco lanterns also mark the entrances.”

Nowhere did it mention swastikas.


The Travellers Hotel, Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada

The Travellers Hotel. Photo by Jeff Hitchcock; (CC BY 2.0)

North American usage of this motif extended beyond the United States. Consider this façade of the Travellers Hotel (map), in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada, constructed in 1913:

“The large and highly detailed Traveller’s Hotel building speaks to the prosperity and optimism that existed in pre-war Ladysmith… an excellent example of an Edwardian-era, commercial style building… The most striking features are the brick swastika symbols on the front facade. At the time of construction, the swastika was a relatively common symbol of prosperity and peace; during World War II, concerns were expressed about the symbol’s association with Nazism. The building was not altered in response to these concerns and the Traveller’s Hotel remains in substantially original condition.”

Today the investors hope to “revitalize and reopen” this historic hotel.


Kimo Theater, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Puddles Pity Party played Albuquerque's Kimo Theater. Photo by Enrique A Sanabria; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Native Americans. Navajo and other tribal nations of the US Southwest frequently used swastika-like decorative designs. The Kimo Theater in Albuquerque (map) carried this theme forward. Also, the City of Albuquerque has a Kimo Theater swastika page that describes more. The Kimo Theater, first opened in 1927 and now owned by the city, represented the “flamboyant, short-lived architectural style” known as Pueblo Deco.

Thus, the Kimo Theater wasn’t a throwback to ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome. It represented Native American, particularly Navajo artistic elements, for whom the swastika represented “life, freedom and happiness.”


12MC Loves Footnotes!

(¹)For example, and as noted previously in 12MC to represent a Buddhist temple in Japan. Or the name of a town in Ontario, Canada.

(²) I try to post unique tidbits, breadcrumbs and non sequiturs on each of the various 12MC pages. Sometimes it’s here on the flagship site within those “completely unrelated” footers. Sometimes I put them on satellite locations such as Twitter. Readers won’t get the full 12MC experience on any one site; they all contribute to the whole. Often I use Twitter to announce new articles, mock spammers and conduct nonsensical public conversations that chase away readers. That’s why I can’t seem to get my subscriber base to grow. Imagine that. There will never be a 12MC Facebook page, though. There’s no particular rhyme or reason for what I post where except in very general terms

Comments

11 responses to “Pre-Nazi Swastika Architectural Details”

  1. Mr Burns Avatar
    Mr Burns

    A few years ago, our little town re-did the main street downtown. As part of the re-do, they laid brick in patterns evocative of our famous old mill.

    You can see the mill here: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.201591,-96.301417,3a,50.6y,55.22h,89.69t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s-5y9SLCA4dFUsPnP2VF-Ig!2e0

    And check out the brick patterns here:
    https://www.google.com/maps/@39.203254,-96.305037,3a,49.2y,64.61h,69.16t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sANKHTDlA8xG1gm1lGaH-Rg!2e0

    Not long after the bricks were put in somebody called one of the TV stations in Topeka claiming we had swastikas on our sidewalks. A camera crew was dispatched immediately, of course. They found no story, since pretty-much anyone can see that they don’t even begin to look like swastikas. Fortunately, it was a slow news day, so their “non-story” ran. It’s kept anyone else from claiming to see evil symbols in the walkways, at least so far.

  2. Alex Avatar
    Alex

    They’ve been used a fair amount as a decorative element in Britain (quite possibly due to the Indian connection). There was a bit of a brouhaha about a month back over a FOI request regarding some on Essex County Council Building (thankfully now generally forgotten about)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-26337662

    1. Twelve Mile Circle Avatar

      Somewhat visible on Street View too, albeit a little blurry.

  3. Peter Avatar

    San Diego has this swastika-shaped building complex. It’s located on, of all things, the Navy SEAL training base.
    http://goo.gl/maps/3lM61

  4. Dharma Avatar
    Dharma

    I saw some years back as I toured the Cal, Berkeley campus. Haven’t seen any mention of it. I can’t imagine it being taken down now.

  5. Jody S. Avatar

    If I recall correctly, the swastika was part of the floor tiles in a building at my alma mater, Gettysburg College.

  6. David Avatar
    David

    Wow, I’ve probably driven/biked/walked down that stretch of Broadway in Glendale more times than I can count, and I don’t remember the lamppost swastikas at all. Then again, I’m not the worlds most observant individual, especially when I need to be watching traffic.

    Apologies if you covered this in a previous article, but what immediately came to mind as I read this was the swastika-shaped building (which is actually four L-shaped buildings arranged rather unfortunately) on a naval base in Coronado, California. Looks like it didn’t become a controversy until Google Maps made it commonplace to look at our would from the top down.
    http://www.cbs8.com/story/31256883/buildings-on-local-base-still-look-like-swastika

  7. David Perry Avatar
    David Perry

    American swastikas out the ying-yang:

    http://www.mallstuffs.com/Blogs/BlogDetails.aspx?BlogId=210&BlogType=Spiritual&Topic=Swastika%20in%20american%20buildings%20and%20historical%20monumnets

    including the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Perelman Building, which is the example I am personally familiar with.

  8. john o vegas Avatar
    john o vegas

    Denver airport runways and entrance road from the west.

    https://goo.gl/maps/xL7ZyqDok7o77BZF8

  9. Darrel T. Avatar
    Darrel T.

    Yeah, I live around the Birmingham area. I knew the swastikas were there. But not many people who live here do. Interestingly, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin held a “rally” after the death of George FLoyd. During the rally, he had a monument of a confederate soldier in Lynn Park (right next to the courthouse) pulled down. The next day he enacted a citywide curfew due to the “riot” the night before. Funny thing, though. The media was all over the monument of the confederate soldier. But nothing was said of the swastikas on the courthouse. Go figure.

  10. ava Avatar
    ava

    we’ve been blinded with programming since babyhood. no one can see what is right in front them and has been for millenia!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Comments

  1. Many of these comments are very interesting, have enjoyed reading. We cross several times a year as well going from…