Streamline Moderne is a style of visual arts that “streamlined” Art Deco designs to make them sleeker and faster looking.

The deck of the Thomas J. Atol Residence in Pasadena, California, was built to evoke the bow of a ship. But when the house was under construction, its designer, William Kesling, was behind bars.

It once sat in the shadow of Ebbets Field, its streamlined curves and prominent signage drawing in drivers in need of a vehicular tune-up. While similar buildings in Miami Beach and Los Angeles have ...