By the mid 1900s, modern advances in technology in the world as well as post war economy started to exert influence on shophouse architecture. As the world was introduced to airliners, ships, and motorcars, shophouses also began to reflect the wonders of the Machine Age.
The organically inspired ornamentation of the earlier periods was discarded in favour of more streamlined designs, curved corners and strong horizontal lines. Geometric shapes, zigzag roofs and flagpoles were also common.
Where can you find them?
Other then Tiong Bahru, Art Deco shophouses can be found in Bukit Pasoh – most notably the Dong Ya building, which now houses Potato Head. An adaptive form of Art Deco, termed Tropical Deco can also be found in shophouses along Club Street and Cavan Road.