Norman Bel Geddes was an American industrial designer and futurist who had a major influence on the streamlined Art Deco design of the 1930s and 40s.
Few of Geddes’ designs came to fruition. A notable exception was the General Motors Pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, called Futurama.
One of his unrealized designs was “Airliner Number 4,” a nine-deck amphibian airliner that he sketched in 1929.
Deck plan from Norman Bel Geddes, Horizons (1932) Deck plan from Norman Bel Geddes, Horizons (1932) Cutaway from Norman Bel Geddes, Horizons (1932) Art from Fantastic Plastic Models Norman Bel Geddes’ design of Airliner Number 4
It would have been a mammoth airship, inspired by Germany’s Dornier Do X flying boat. Geddes wanted to seat up to 600 passengers and provide areas for concerts, deck games, a gymnasium, a solarium — even two airplane hangars!
He put the cost of building the aircraft at $9 million, which would be something like $125 million in today’s money.