Fellner & Helmer office

Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner

The architectural office Fellner & Helmer (also Atelier Fellner & Helmer ) in Vienna was founded in 1873 by the architects Ferdinand Fellner the Elder. J. (1847–1916) and Hermann Helmer (1849–1919) and operated until 1919.

Work

The architectural office specialized in the construction of theaters - which was already initiated by the work of Fellner I. - and was involved in the construction of 48 theater buildings in Europe. The boom in theater buildings around 1900 encouraged such a specialization, which was represented in Great Britain by the Frank Matcham office . The decisive factor was the desire of the bourgeoisie for their own stages. In addition, there were stricter safety conditions with regard to fire protection ( Ringtheaterbrand 1881), which made renovations necessary. Helmer in particular dealt intensively with fire safety precautions, tests and regulations and was active in a number of committees. The almost monopoly position of the architects in Austria-Hungary can be traced back to the fact that the office community was able to guarantee high quality at low costs and quick implementation, reliability, predictability and professionalism. Their style heralded a new era in 20th century architecture. With their architectural style, they broke new ground in urban planning, away from the strictly Italian Renaissance to the rediscovery of the Baroque to the Art Nouveau of their latest buildings. In this style they not only built theaters, but also department stores, banks, hotels, palaces, country castles as well as country houses and villas, a total of more than 200 buildings are documented. In construction technology, they used the latest known construction methods.

Despite many wars and fires, almost all theaters are still in operation today and serve the cultural life in many European cities - a sign of how pioneering the Viennese architects were building in the 19th century.

Company history

After completing his studies, Hermann Helmer entered the studio of Ferdinand Fellner I (1815–1871), who was suffering from heart problems , and had been actively supported by his son Ferdinand Fellner II since 1866 . He continued to run the studio after his father's death. In 1873 Fellner II and Helmer founded the Fellner & Helmer architectural association . In the first few years Fellner was mainly responsible for negotiations, site management and meetings on site, while Helmer worked in the office. Later the assignments were split up and each architect had his own staff. However, the work was always planned in a uniform manner and always ran under the common studio name.

At times up to 20 architects were employed in the studio in order to be able to cope with the orders. These included Franz Krauss , Rudolf Krausz , Ernst Gotthilf , Alexander Graf, Arthur Meinig and Alexander Neumann . After their studies, the sons Ferdinand Fellner III also joined. and Hermann Helmer jun. into the studio, where Fellner III. died in 1911. After the death of Fellner II. The office of Helmer sen. continued and after his death by Helmer jun. After the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy , however, there were no more significant orders and the office was finally closed.

Theater and concert buildings

photo		Construction year	Surname	Location	description
		1870	Interim Theater Brno	Brno , Czech Republic	destroyed Note: destroyed in 1882
		1871-1872	Vienna City Theater	Vienna 1, Seilerststätte 9	destroyed Note: partly burned down in 1884. 1888 also by Fellner & Helmer to Etablissement Ronacher expanded
		1871-1873	Croatian National Theater Varazdin Wikidata	Ulica Augusta Cesarca 14, Varaždin location
		1871-1875	Wikidata theater hotel and redoute building	Temesvar, Transylvania / Timișoara , Romania Location	changed Note: changed in 1920. Only the side parts are in the original
		1874-1875	Popular Theater Budapest Wikidata	Budapest, Hungary location	destroyed Note: Népszínház, demolished in 1965
		1877	Stadttheater Augsburg Wikidata	Augsburg, Germany location	Note: rebuilt in 1937 on Hitler's initiative
		1881-1882	Brno City Theater / Mahen Theater Wikidata	Brno, Czech Republic location	Note: Europe's first theater with electric lighting
		1881-1883	Stadttheater Reichenberg Wikidata	Bohemia / Liberec , Czech Republic Location	Note: Divadlo FX Šalda
		1882-1883	City Theater Szeged / Szeged Wikidata	Szeged , Hungary location
		1883-1885	Fiume City Theater / Croatian National Theater in Rijeka Wikidata	Rijeka , Croatia location
		1884-1886	City Theater Karlsbad Wikidata	Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic location	Note: Městské divadlo
		1884-1887	Odessa Opera House / Teatr operi ta baletu / Odessa City Theater Wikidata	Odessa , Ukraine location
		1885-1886	Slovak National Theater Wikidata	Pressburg (now Bratislava ), Slovakia location	Note: Second theater
		1886-1887	New German Theater Prague / State Opera Wikidata	Legerova 75, Prague, Czech Republic Location	Note: Státní opera Praha
		1887-1888	Etablissement Ronacher BDA-ID:  40863 Wikidata	Vienna 1, Seilerststätte 9 location	Note: Reconstruction of the partly burned down town theater
		1888	Castle Theater of Count Esterhazy Wikidata	Várszínház, Totis / Tata , Hungary Location	destroyed Note: demolished in 1913. Miklós Esterházy
		1888-1889	Volkstheater BDA-ID:  27224 Wikidata	Vienna 7, Museumsstrasse 2A / Neustiftgasse / Burggasse location	Note: formerly Deutsches Volkstheater
		1890-1891	City Theater Zurich Opera House Wikidata	Zurich, Switzerland location
		1891-1892	Theater unter den Linden Berlin / Komische Oper Berlin Wikidata	Berlin, Germany location	Note: as “Theater Unter den Linden”, later “Metropol-Theater”. Exterior destroyed in World War II.
		1892	Pavilion for the Viennese music and theater exhibition in 1892	Vienna 2nd	destroyed
		1892-1893	Hoftheater Wiesbaden Wikidata	Wiesbaden, Germany location
		1893	Landestheater Salzburg BDA-ID:  60988 Wikidata	Location
		1893-1894	Orfeum Somossy Wikidata	Budapest, Hungary location	Note: Fővárosi Operettszínház
		1893-1895	Sound and Congress Hall Zurich Wikidata	Zurich, Switzerland location	changed
		1894	Restoration St. Annahof BDA-ID:  27666 Wikidata	Vienna 1, Annagasse 3-3a location	Note: apartments above
		1894-1895	National Theater Zagreb Wikidata	Agram / Zagreb , Croatia location	Note: Hrvatsko Narodno Kazalište
		1894-1896	National and Court Theater Jassi Wikidata	Iași , Romania location
		1895-1896	Comedy Theater Budapest Wikidata	Budapest, Hungary location	Note: Vígszínház
		1895-1896	City Theater Kecskemet Wikidata	Kecskemét , Hungary location	Note: Katona József Theater
		1896-1897	Konzerthaus Ravensburg Wikidata	Ravensburg, Germany location
		1894-1895	Zagreb Wikidata Art Pavilion	Zagreb, Croatia location
		1899	Graz Opera House BDA-ID:  36079 Wikidata	Graz location
		1898-1899	City Theater Workers' Theater Berndorf BDA-ID:  53339 Wikidata	Berndorf, Lower Austria location
		1899-1900	Oradea City Theater Wikidata	Oradea , Romania location
		1899-1900	Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg Wikidata	Hamburg, Germany location
		1901-1902	City Theater Fürth Wikidata	Fürth, Germany location
		1901-1904	Medien-Kultur Haus BDA-ID:  112883 Wikidata	Wels, Austria location
		1902	Theater an der Wien Conversion BDA-ID:  19846 Wikidata	Vienna 6, Linke Wienzeile 8 location	Note: formerly Magdalenenstrasse; 1960/61 redesign
		1902	Theater im Schloss Ottensheim BDA-ID:  18337 Wikidata	Ottensheim , Upper Austria Location	destroyed Note: closed since the 1930s only remains
		1903-1904	Wilama Horzycy / Stadttheater Thorn Wikidata	Toruń , Poland location
		1904	Reconstruction of the interior of the Hoftheater Darmstadt Wikidata	Darmstadt , Germany location	destroyed Note: Today the building houses the Hessian State Archive Darmstadt
		1904-1905	Chernivtsi City Theater Wikidata	Bukowina / Cernovci, Ukraine location
		1889-1890	Bielitz-Biala Wikidata Theater	Bielsko-Biała , Poland location	Note: Built 1889–1890 by Emil von Förster . 1904–1905 rebuilt by Helmer and Fellner. Bielsko-Biała Teatr Polski
		1904-1906	National Theater Sofia Ivan Wasow Wikidata	Sofia , Bulgaria location
		1904-1906	National Theater Cluj- Napoca Wikidata	Cluj-Napoca (Transylvania), Romania Location	Note: Nemzeti Színház
		1906-1907	City Theater Gablonz on the Neisse Wikidata	Jablonec nad Nisou , Czech Republic Location	Note: Městské divadlo
		1906-1907	City Theater Gießen Wikidata	Giessen , Germany location
		1906-1909	City Theater Jungbunzlau Wikidata	Mladá Boleslav , Czech Republic Location	Note: Mladá Boleslav
		1908-1909	Baden City Theater BDA-ID:  53273 Wikidata	Baden near Vienna, Austria location
		1909-1910	City Theater Klagenfurt BDA-ID:  62048 Wikidata	Klagenfurt, Carinthia location	Note: 1996–1998 extension by Günther Domenig
		1909-1910	City Theater Adama Mickiewicza Teschen Wikidata	Cieszyn , Poland location
		1910	Landshut Schlosstheater Wikidata	Łańcut , Poland location	Note: Łańcut
		1910-1913	Academy Theater and University of the Performing Arts BDA-ID:  7682 Wikidata	Vienna 3, Lothringerstraße 18 / Lisztstraße 1 location	Note: with Ludwig Baumann
		1910-1913	Wiener Konzerthaus BDA-ID:  10715 Wikidata	Vienna 3, Lothringerstraße 20 location	Note: with Ludwig Baumann

Other Projects

Vienna

photo		Construction year	Surname	Location	description
		1868	Atelier Fellner & Helmer	Servitengasse 7 location
		1874-1878	University observatory BDA-ID:  52311 Wikidata	Vienna 18, Türkenschanzstraße 17 location
		1874-1880	Former Sturany-Palais BDA-ID:  40849 Wikidata	Vienna 1, Schottenring 21 location
		1875	Residential building	Vienna 3, Landstraßer Hauptstraße 46 location	Note: remodeling
		1875	Residential and commercial building	Vienna 8, Lange Gasse 35A location
		1875-1876	Clay house	Vienna 1, Kärntner Straße 12 / Kupferschmidgasse 2 location
		1876	Residential and commercial building	Vienna 8, Josefstädter Straße 13 / Lange Gasse 28 Location
		1877	Residential and commercial building, house of the Duchess of Castries BDA-ID:  40832 Wikidata	Vienna 1, Rotenturmstrasse 12 location
		1879	Wikidata Palace	Vienna 4, Prinz-Eugen-Straße 40 Location	Note: today Turkish embassy
		1879	Rental house	Vienna 3, Baumgasse 5 location
		1879-1880	A. Krammer's son department store	Vienna 1, Stephansplatz 10 / Goldschmiedgasse 2 location	Note: repaired after fire in 1945, decor removed
		1879-1881	Villa Rittershausen BDA-ID:  83448 Wikidata	Vienna 19, Hohe Warte 19 location	Note: last renovation in 2013
		1880	Bürgerpalais, Haus Biach BDA-ID:  21952 Wikidata	Vienna 4, Mayerhofgasse 20 location
		1880	Residential building	Vienna 4, Plößlgasse 5–7 location
		1880	Residential and commercial building BDA-ID:  87472 Wikidata	Vienna 1, Goldschmiedgasse 6 location
		1881	Residential and commercial building BDA-ID:  90962 Wikidata	Vienna 1, Goldschmiedgasse 4 location
		1882	Rental palace	Vienna 4, Schwindgasse 6 location
		1882-1884	Thonethof residential and commercial building	Vienna 1, Rotenturmstrasse 1–3	destroyed Note: 1945 destroyed, 1964 Kennedy House built by G. Lippert and Hugo Mittag
		1884	Residential and commercial building	Vienna 9, Währinger Strasse 5-7 location
		1884-1885	Margaretenhof BDA-ID:  41083 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Margaretenplatz 4 / Margaretenhof 1–12 / Margaretenstrasse 86 Location
		1885-1886	Rental house Ensemble Zeinlhofergasse BDA-ID:  6503 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Zeinlhofergasse 5 location
		1885-1886	Rental house Ensemble Zeinlhofergasse BDA-ID:  6663 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Zeinlhofergasse 6 location
		1885-1886	Rental house Ensemble Zeinlhofergasse BDA-ID:  6659 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Zeinlhofergasse 7 location
		1885-1886	Rental house Ensemble Zeinlhofergasse BDA-ID:  6664 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Zeinlhofergasse 8 location
		1885-1886	Rental house Ensemble Zeinlhofergasse BDA-ID:  6660 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Zeinlhofergasse 9 location
		1885-1886	Rental house Ensemble Zeinlhofergasse BDA-ID:  6665 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Zeinlhofergasse 10 location
		1885-1886	Rental house Ensemble Zeinlhofergasse BDA-ID:  6661 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Zeinlhofergasse 11 location
		1885-1886	Rental house Ensemble Zeinlhofergasse BDA-ID:  6666 Wikidata	Vienna 5, Zeinlhofergasse 12 location
		1886	Rental house BDA-ID:  76546 Wikidata	Vienna 1, Teinfaltstraße 7 location
		1886	Rental house	Vienna 4, Rienösslgasse 1 location
		1886	Rental house	Vienna 4, Rienösslgasse 3 location
		1886	Rothberger Wikidata department store	Vienna 1, Stephansplatz 9 and 11 location	destroyed Note: destroyed in 1938
		1887	Rental house	Vienna 6, Amerlingstrasse 9 location
		1887	Stephaniewarte BDA-ID:  87010 Wikidata	Vienna 19, Kahlenberg location
		1888-1890	Palais Adolf Ritter von Schenk BDA-ID:  21987 Wikidata	Vienna 4, Theresianumgasse 21 location	Note: Spanish Embassy
		1889	Former Palais Seybel	Vienna 3, Reisnerstraße 50 location
		1889-1890	Springer-Schlössl BDA-ID:  25658 Wikidata	Vienna 12, Tivoligasse 73 location	Note: today the Political Academy of the ÖVP
		1891	Former Palais Schnapper-Weisweiler BDA-ID:  7757 Wikidata	Vienna 3, Salesianergasse 3a location
		1891	Rental house	Vienna 4, Prinz-Eugen-Straße 70 location	Note: formerly Heugasse
		1891	Former Wessely Palace	Vienna 4, Argentinierstraße 23 location
		1891	Rental house	Vienna 4, Graf-Starhemberg-Gasse 26 Location
		1891-1907	Rental houses	Vienna 8, Kochgasse 8 location
		1891-1907	Rental houses	Vienna 8, Kochgasse 10 location
		1891-1907	Rental houses	Vienna 8, Kochgasse 12 location	Note: Kochgasse 12 was used by Hermann Helmer himself.
		1891-1907	Rental houses	Vienna 8, Kochgasse 14 location
		1891-1907	Rental houses	Vienna 8, Kochgasse 16 location
		1892	Rental house	Vienna 1, Schottengasse 7 location
		1892	Maria-Theresia-Frauen-Hospital BDA-ID:  51077 Wikidata	Vienna 8, Feldgasse 9 location	Note: today the hygienic-bacteriological research institute of the City of Vienna
		1893	Rental house	Vienna 6, Webgasse 24 location
		1894	Former Palais Rothschild Wikidata	Vienna 4, Prinz-Eugen-Straße 26 location	Note: Today Brazilian Embassy
		1894	Rental house	Vienna 6, Gumpendorferstraße 26 / Bienengasse 1 location
		1894-1895	Lanckoronski Wikidata Palace	Vienna 3, Jacquingasse 16-18 location	destroyed Note: Lanckoroński Palace
		1894-1895	Villa Geitler	Vienna 13, Lainzer Straße 43 location
		1895	Rental house	Vienna 4, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 46 location
		1896	Clubhouse Residenzhof BDA-ID:  27710 Wikidata	Vienna 1, Seilerststätte 16 location	Note: apartments and club rooms
		1898	Former Liesinger Brauhaus restoration BDA-ID:  18182 Wikidata	Vienna 23, Breitenfurterstrasse 370 Location
		1898-1899	Villa Forster	Vienna 13, Adolfstorgasse 21 Location
		1902-1904	Gerngross Wikidata	Vienna 7, Mariahilfer Straße 42–48 Location	destroyed
		1903-1904	District Office Liesing BDA-ID:  19036 Wikidata	Vienna 23, Perchtoldsdorfer Straße 2 location
		1904	Terramare locks	Vienna 17, Heuberggasse 10 / Trimmelgasse 5 location
		1908	Rental house	Vienna 19, Pokornygasse 23 location
		1908-1910	Rental house	Vienna 8, Wickenburggasse 3 location
		1908-1910	Rental house	Vienna 8, Wickenburggasse 5 location
		1910-1912	Rosenhügel Neurological Hospital BDA-ID:  130517 Wikidata	Vienna 13, Riedelgasse 5 location	Note: management villa, administration building, farmyard, kitchen

Other places

photo		Construction year	Surname	Location	description
		in the 1870s	Sanguszko Antoniny Palace	Antoniny , today Ukraine	destroyed Note: destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1919
		1880	Waldhäuser Ernst Ledere	Dr.-Sigmund-Stransky-Straße 13, Bad Vöslau location
		1881-1883	Palais Karolyi-Csekonics Wikidata	Múzeum ut 17, Budapest location	Note: Lanckoroński Palace
		1885	Palais Modello Wikidata	Fiume ( Rijeka ), today a location in Croatia	Note: Today the city library and Italian cultural center
		1885	Palace of Justice Suceava Wikidata	Suceava , now Romania location
		1890-1891	Friess Villa, Wikidata New Castle	Zborovice , today Czech location
		1890-1891	Pavlovice Castle Wikidata	Pawlowitz ( Pavlovice u Přerova ), today Czech location	Note: Today Domov Alfréda Skeneho retirement home
		1891-1896	Hotel Waldeck	Smetanovy sady 75/1, Pilsen , today Czech location
		1892	Lausturm Sooss	Lausturm 1, Sooss location	Note: Commissioned by Schlumberger to commemorate the eradication of phylloxera. Also Schlumberger Weinbergschlösschen
		1893-1895	Kaiserbad Wikidata	Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), today location in the Czech Republic
		1896-1907	Grandhotel Pupp Wikidata	Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), today location in the Czech Republic
		1897	Žinkovy Wikidata Castle	Žinkovy , today Czech location
		1898	Palais Jan Albin Goetz Wikidata	Brzesko , now Poland location
		1898	Berghaus Hochschneeberg Wikidata	Location
		1898	Bank	Sitschowych Strilziw Uliza 9, Lemberg ( Lwiw ), today Ukraine location
		1898	Casino Szlacheckie in Lviv Wikidata	Lemberg (Lwiw), today Ukraine location
		1898-1899	State Theater Mainz, remodeling Wikidata	Mainz, Germany location
		1899-1900	Hatschek Villa	Linz, Auf der Gugl 3	destroyed
		1899-1901	Hotel George Wikidata	Lviv, today Ukraine location
		1899	Hotel Erzherzog Johann	Semmering, Bundesstrasse 4 location	destroyed
		1900	Park Colonnades Wikidata	Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), today location in the Czech Republic	Note: Tržní kolonáda
		1897	Hotel Schneeberghof	Wiener Neustädter Strasse 24, Puchberg am Schneeberg location	Formerly the Hotel Schneebergbahn. As before, a hotel with a modern extension
		1902	Villa Boehler	Mariazeller Strasse 30, Kapfenberg location
		1912-1913	Hotel Panhans Wikidata	Dependencies "Pension Waldesruhe" and "Fürstenhof", Semmering, Hochstrasse 32 a / b, Lower Austria location
		1912-1914	Kastner & Öhler	Graz, Sackstrasse location

• numerous villas and castles: u. a. the hunting castles of Baron Rothschild , Villa Wessely (v / o Füssel-Villa) in Tulln , Villa Schwarzenbach in Rüschlikon / Zurich

literature

• Ferdinand Fellner: The development of theater construction in the last fifty years . A lecture given on November 26, 1909 at the Central Association of Architects of the Kingdoms and Countries represented in the Imperial Council in Vienna. Self-published by the author, Vienna 1909.
• Fellner & Helmer: Compilation of the buildings and projects carried out in the years 1870/1914 . sn, Vienna 1914.
• Alois Maria Wurm-Arnkreuz : Architect Ferdinand Fellner and his importance for modern theater construction . Publishing house for technology and industry, Vienna et al. 1919.
• Hans-Christoph Hoffmann: The theater buildings by Fellner and Helmer. (= Studies on the Art of the Nineteenth Century 2) . Prestel, Munich 1966, ISBN 3-7913-0128-4 (also: Darmstadt, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 1966).
• Siegfried Theiss:  Fellner, Ferdinand. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1961, ISBN 3-428-00186-9 , p. 74 f. ( Digitized version ).
• Hans-Christoph Hoffmann:  Helmer, Hermann Gottlieb. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 8, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1969, ISBN 3-428-00189-3 , p. 494 ( digitized version ).
• Dieter Klein: Fellner & Helmer. Viennese studio with world renown . In: Baukultur . No. 4 , 1997, ISSN  0722-3099 , p. 34-47 .
• Iskra Buschek: Fellner & Helmer. The architects of illusion. Theater construction and stage design in Europe . Edited by Gerhard M. Dienes. Stadtmuseum, Graz 1999, ISBN 3-900764-21-2 (On the occasion of the exhibition “100 Years of Graz Opera”, exhibition catalog with an overview of all the architects' theaters).
• Géza Hajós , Eckart Vancsa, Ulrike Steiner, Walter Brauneis, Ülküm Fürst: The art monuments of Vienna. The secular buildings of the III., IV. And V district. With an introduction to the topographical and art-historical development of the districts (= Austrian Art Topography 44) . Schroll, Vienna 1980, ISBN 3-7031-0470-8 .
• Felix Czeike , Helga Czeike : Historical Lexicon Vienna . In 6 volumes. Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna et al. 2004, ISBN 3-218-00740-2 .
• Joseph Schwaighofer: On the history of the Viennese department store . In: Competitions. Architecture journal . Volume 32, No. 267/268 , 2008, ISSN  1015-4477 , p. 36-41 .
• Igor Kovačevič, chief ed .: Beyond everydayness - Theater architecture in Central Europe . National Theater Prague, Prague 2010, ISBN 978-80-7258-364-5 (English).

Movie

• The theater builders Helmer and Fellner - rooms for dreams. Documentation, Austria, 2008, 26 min., Director: Ute Gebhardt , production: NDR , WEGA film Vienna, summary by arte

Web links

Commons : Büro Fellner & Helmer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Ferdinand Fellner II. In: Architects Lexicon Vienna 1770–1945. Published by the Architekturzentrum Wien . Vienna 2007.
• Ferdinand Fellner III .. In: Architects Lexicon Vienna 1770–1945. Published by the Architekturzentrum Wien . Vienna 2007.
• Hermann Helmer. In: Architects Lexicon Vienna 1770–1945. Published by the Architekturzentrum Wien . Vienna 2007.
• Theaters on postcards (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://www.theatre-architecture.eu/en/db/?theatreId=231

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap