One is the cobalt blue and silver Floral Depot at the corner of 19th Street and Telegraph. Built in 1931 (and incorporating a smaller 1923 building), its blue and silver facing is made of terra cotta. The silver is reputedly meant to resemble a stylized waterfall with water drops surging up from the spray.

The building report prepared by the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey surmises that the ornate detailing was to allow the Floral Depot to also shine in the shadow of its grander partner across the street, the Fox Oakland Theater. It certainly shone enough to catch Disney's eye: There's a replica of the Floral Depot at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Speaking of the Fox, its 1928 eclectic architecture owes some debt at least to Art Deco, as well as to Moorish, Indian and medieval styles. The stainless steel entry walls, visible from the exterior, were added in the 1940s and certainly emit the kind of silverized aeroplane feel we expect from Art Deco.

But it is the Fox's 1931 sister, the Paramount Theatre on Broadway, that truly embodies Art Deco. First to note are the stylized puppet master and mistress rendered in mosaic on the facade. Sadly, it's hard to get a good view of these enormous works of art: If only Broadway lived up to its name, we'd have more space to back up and look.

Inside is a spellbinding yesteryear. Every possible detail is sinuous and aesthetic. The carpeting alone could keep one's attention for hours. Then there is the grand staircase, the linked Egyptian-style women motif leading the eye upward to the back-lit ceiling, and the enormous Fountain of Light, which is made of etched glass and represents a bubbling but controlled jet of water. And that's just the lobby!

The term Art Deco comes from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs in Paris where the style was officially positioned for the world. The last two words of the exposition's title were abbreviated to create the name Art Deco, but not until the 1960s. Before the coining of the term, and before the exposition itself, the style was called Moderne. Basically put, it is a modernizing of past styles -- that's why, for instance, in the Paramount lobby you see ancient Egyptianesque figures, reconstituted with streamlined grace.

There's a lot more Art Deco in Oakland I haven't even touched on -- like the emerald I. Magnin building -- but you should see for yourself. Catch the walking tour this Saturday with Dean Yabuki, which will cover all the buildings I've mentioned and more.

Yabuki suggests that you begin the day with a Paramount Theatre tour at 10 a.m. (call 510-465-6400 for information on that separate tour; for $1 it's a steal, and you get to see the backstage areas of the theater you don't typically have access to). Yabuki's tour begins at 1 p.m. and will include updates on preservation efforts and future plans for the various buildings. I'm not sure how many interiors will be included on the tour, but my first glimpse inside the abandoned Fox Theater years ago was courtesy of a walking tour. Call 763-9218 for more information.