Hart & Lesser

The architecture firm Hart & Lesser was founded by the architects Gustav Hart (1864–1929) and Alfred Lesser (1871–1915) in Berlin around 1900 and existed until Lesser's death in 1915.

Trunck furniture store, Kronenstrasse 10, Berlin-Mitte

history

The architect Gustav Hart from Berlin's Nostizstrasse and the master builder Alfred Lesser from Berlin's Elßholzstrasse were already involved as individuals with building projects in the center of Berlin at the end of the 19th century . Around 1900 they merged to form the Hart & Lesser Atelier for Architecture and Construction . Her office, based at Mohrenstrasse 6, specialized in representative buildings such as office and office buildings , hotels , train stations and villas . It became known because of its preference for ornamental design and lavishly decorated facades and entrance areas . In doing so, they creatively combined historical elements of the Renaissance , Baroque and Rococo with forms of contemporary Art Nouveau .

Ullstein Verlag , M. Kempinski & Co. , the Prussian State Railways and other important companies and people were among the clients . The success of the architectural office was also due to the fact that the building projects were completed very quickly. For example, the Schlosshotel Gotha was completed in just ten months.

At the beginning of their careers, various well-known architects worked as employees in the Hart & Lesser office, including Eugen Schmohl , Hans Bernoulli (both between 1900 and 1902) and Hans Gerson (from 1904 to 1907).

buildings

In Berlin

• 1900–1901: Commercial building for the publishing house Ullstein & Co. in Berlin-Kreuzberg , Kochstrasse 23/24 (destroyed in the war)
• 1901–1902: Commercial building for the furniture store Conrad Trunck & Co. in Berlin-Mitte , Kronenstrasse 10. The building served as the central film library in GDR times . 1996–1998 it was renovated and restored. The five-storey commercial building extends over a single plot. The lush sandstone facade , which mainly uses neo-renaissance elements for the bay windows and ribbon windows, is impressive , while the central windows , figure niches and the portal are based on Baroque forms. The Dehio art guide certifies the building ensemble “uniqueness and elegance”.
• before 1902: facade design for the apartment building of the building contractor Gustav Paulsen in Berlin-Charlottenburg , Schlüterstrasse 31 / Mommsenstrasse (floor plans by Gustav Paulsen; preserved with changes)
• 1902–1904: Mexikoplatz S-Bahn station in Berlin-Zehlendorf , Mexikoplatz ( listed )
• 1904: Villa for Max Troplowitz (I) in Berlin-Grunewald , Delbrückstrasse 19–21
• 1905–1906: Levysohn apartment building in Berlin's Hansaviertel , Lessingstrasse 58 / Händelallee (destroyed in the war)
• 1906: Commercial building Bismarckstrasse 2 in Berlin-Charlottenburg (destroyed in the war)
• 1906–1907: Villa for Max Troplowitz (II) in Berlin-Grunewald, Delbrückstraße 10 (under monument protection)
• before 1907: House for Kommerzienrat Hermann Israel in Berlin-Tiergarten , Bendlerstraße 38 (not preserved)
• 1907: Interior construction of the Kempinski wine house in Berlin-Mitte, Leipziger Strasse 25 and Krausenstrasse 72-74 (not preserved)
• 1907: "Schmales Haus" office and commercial building in Berlin-Mitte ( Nikolaiviertel ), Poststrasse 30 (listed)
• 1907: Villa for the banker Julius Erxleben in Berlin-Grunewald, Douglasstraße 24–28 (under monument protection) This residential building stands out due to numerous small windows and a richly designed roof landscape with a striking corner tower.
• 1908–1909: Apartment building "See-Eck" in Berlin-Charlottenburg, Lietzenseeufer 10 (under monument protection)
• 1908–1910: Berlin-Frohnau train station in Berlin-Frohnau , Ludolfinger Platz
• 1909–1910: Casino Frohnau, residential and commercial building with observation water tower in Berlin-Frohnau (in the ensemble with train station and road bridge; under monument protection)
• 1911–1912: Office and commercial building Jägerstrasse 32 in Berlin-Mitte (under monument protection; until 2009 seat of SAT1 )

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  Mexikoplatz S-Bahn station , Berlin

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  Frohnau S-Bahn station , Berlin

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  Weinhaus Kempinski , Cadiner Hall, Berlin-Mitte

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  Villa Troplowitz, Delbrückstrasse 10, Berlin-Grunewald

Outside of Berlin

Castle Hotel Gotha

• 1911: Schlosshotel Gotha in Gotha (heavily changed due to renovations)
• 1911: Rathaus underground station in Hamburg (together with the Hamburg architects Raabe & Wöhlecke )

literature

• Myra Warhaftig : German Jewish Architects before and after 1933. The Lexicon. 500 biographies. Dietrich Reimer, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-496-01326-5 .
• Georg Dehio (first name): Berlin , handbook of German art monuments . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2006, ISBN 978-3-422-03111-1 , pages 133, 271, 410, 460.

Web links

Commons : Hart & Lesser  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hart, Gustav> Architect . In: Address book for Berlin and its suburbs , 1900, Part I, p. 527.
2. ↑ Lesser, Alfred> Master Builder . In: Address book for Berlin and its suburbs , 1900, Part I, p. 905.
3. ↑ Hart & Lesser, Atelier for Architecture and Construction> Mohrenstrasse 6 . In: Address book for Berlin and its suburbs , 1901, Part I, p. 549.
4. ↑ Biographical information on Eugen Schmohl on tu-berlin.de; Retrieved Oct. 8, 2014.
5. ^ Caroline Flick: Werner Hegemann (1881-1936). Urban planning, architecture, politics. A working life in Europe and the USA. Walter de Gruyter , Berlin 2005.
6. ^ Franklin Kopitzsch, Dirk Brietzke: Hamburgische Biographie. Lexicon of persons. Volume 2, Wallstein Verlag, 2003, p. 142.
7. ↑ Berliner Architekturwelt , 5th year 1902/1903, Issue 2 (from May 1902), pp. 54–64.
8. ↑ stadtbild-deutschland.org
9. ↑ View of the office building around 1905 ( Memento of the original from October 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; accessed on October 8, 2014.  
10. ↑ Institute for Monument Preservation (Ed.): The architectural and art monuments of the GDR. Capital Berlin-I . Henschelverlag, Berlin 1984, p. 225 .
11. ↑ LDL Berlin: Furniture store Trunck and Co.
12. ^ Dehio: page 133
13. ↑ Berliner Architekturwelt , 5th year 1902/1903, No. 2 (from May 1902), p. 53 (illustration and floor plans)
14. ↑ LDL Berlin: Mexikoplatz S-Bahn station (reception building, platform)
15. ↑ Detailed illustration of the house at Lessingstrasse 58 (collotype) in the Architecture Museum of the Technical University of Berlin
16. ↑ Dieter Renschler, Wulf Schirmer (Red.): The residential buildings. Apartment buildings. (= Berlin and its buildings , Part IV Housing, Volume B.) Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn, Berlin a. a. 1974, p. 129 f.
17. ↑ LDL Berlin: Villa for Max Troplowitz
18. ↑ Architectural Review , 23rd year 1907, p. 36.
19. ↑ Hart & Lesser inventory : House Israel, Bendlerstrasse 38, Berlin-Tiergarten in the Architecture Museum of the Technical University of Berlin
20. ↑ Luise-Berlin.de
21. ↑ LDL Berlin: Narrow House
22. ↑ LDL Berlin: Landhaus Erxleben
23. ↑ LDL Berlin: House See-Eck
24. ↑ LDL Berlin: Frohnau S-Bahn station
25. ↑ LDL Berlin: Casino Frohnau
26. ↑ LDL Berlin: Jägerstrasse 32 office building
27. ^ The architects of the Hamburg subway ( Memento from October 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive )