>Uhhhhhh...an auto dealership? That's...that's....words fail me. How long did it last?
The ship made its debut circa October 1931 and burned ca. January 1933, so the auto dealership lasted a year and three months. It made sense to have one~ first class on l'Atlantique was aimed at wealthy Argentines, and wealthy Europeans, making their seasonal 'avoid winter' pilgrimages to and from their respective countries. Buying a car on board simplified the grand tour considerably.
>As for myself ~ gimme masts, funnels, and actual portholes any day o' the week.
Is that not unlike choosing a hotel on shore based upon the fact that it has a water tank on the roof and awnings over the windows, rather than upon the services provided within? Funnels, while they existed, were the bane of travelers because of the endless rain of clothing-ruining smut, and their acrid reek, which made walking or sitting on deck far less romantic than advertising photos (taken whilst the ship as docked, I may add) suggest. Masts in no way affected, or affect, the passenger experience, and portholes were eliminated because of the VERY real sense of claustrophobia induced by being in a small room with a circular window a foot or less in diameter as its only source of natural light. Plus, people on cruises WANT to see the ocean~ which is why they are on cruises~ and giving them an all-but-nonexistent view in the name of design tradition makes no sense.
One can contrast what constituted contemporary good taste in design, and what constituted 'pouring it on for the yokels' quite easily in NYC at the moment. Take in the Normandie panels at the Met. Then walk over to the "east 40s" and check out the Lescaze residence (1934) at 211 East 48th. After which, subway up to the Grand Concourse (after checking out Radio City Music Hall) and take a look at the artwork which adorned ca 1935 apartment building aimed at the 'comfortably well off urban professional.' Now, having made that trip, one must then ask after removing the rose colored glasses of nostalgia, did the Normandie favor what constituted smart design and progressive architecture (put another way, "good taste?") when she was brand new, or did she strike one as being a bigger and better version of the lobby of a movie theater or apartment house aimed at the middle class of her era?
She was the spiritual forerunner of this new Oasis ship....