Step into the lobby of many buildings in midtown Manhattan and you may find the remaining accoutrements of a more elegant age. This detail of an elevator door is an example of the design revolution that took place in the 1920s and early 1930s. The sinuous vegetation of art nouveau was never big in New York but Art Deco, with its more obvious geometry really took off. Straight lines, zigzags and spirals with Machine Age finishes were all the rage in the skyscrapers that were going up all over town. It's a reminder of a more elegant age.