Willy Kreuer

Willy Kreuer (born November 28, 1910 in Cologne ; † September 12, 1984 in Berlin ) was a German architect and university professor who gained regional importance in Berlin in the post-war modern era . The first name "Wilhelm", which is on Kreuer's birth certificate, appears only occasionally in newspaper articles, but was never used by Kreuer himself.

life and work

From 1928 to 1937, Kreuer initially worked in various Cologne architectural offices, including for important architects such as Martin Elsaesser and Dominikus Böhm . Innovative and modern designs originate from this time. It was not until 1937 that he began working in Berlin, where he became a permanent employee of Werner March in 1938 and was entrusted with new planning for the banks of the Elbe in Hamburg , a stadium in Belgrade and buildings for the Yugoslav embassy in the Berlin embassy district . He later worked for a long time in Copenhagen and Budapest . In 1941 he took part in the architectural competition for a university town in Preßburg (now Bratislava ), and was then drafted into military service from 1942 to 1945 . In 1945/1946 he was able to resume his work as a freelance architect in Berlin and in 1946 he successfully participated in the competition for the development and transport solution for the area between the main station and the main station in Frankfurt am Main in collaboration with Wolfgang Draesel. This marked the beginning of a lively competitive activity Kreuer, which showed his interest in important construction projects. In 1948, he participated in the competition for reconstruction planning in Frankfurt (Oder) in collaboration with Richard Lüer.

1949–1952 he became an assistant at the chair for urban planning at the Technical University of Berlin , and in 1951 he became an associate professor there . An important Berlin competition in which he took part was the competition for the main building (headquarters) of the Berliner Bank , Hardenbergstrasse 32 in 1951, but the design by Gerhard Siegmann was carried out in 1952/1953. He was able to demonstrate his importance as an architect for the first time in 1951 in collaboration with Fritz Bornemann at the America Memorial Library , which was built between 1951 and 1953 . This was followed in 1951/1952 by the design and construction of the Berlin-Kreuzberg town hall , Yorckstraße 4-11. Kreuer worked with Hartmut Wille on the design. The foundation stone of reinforced concrete - framed building in October, 1952 (the first phase of construction 1953/1954, the second extension portion 1956-1958).

His most outstanding work is the faculty and institute building for mining and metallurgy of the Technical University of Berlin at Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1 (1955–1959). Alfred Fitting was responsible for the planning and construction. The urban design for Interbau in Berlin's Hansaviertel was based on Kreuer's plans; The only building he realized there was the Catholic Church of St. Ansgar (1957/1958). In terms of its architectural quality, too little attention is paid to Kreuer's old work, the Institute for Technical Chemistry at the Technical University of Berlin, designed since 1963 and built between 1965 and 1968, on Strasse des 17. Juni . This building was erected as a reinforced concrete structure and clad with a plastic facade.

tomb

Kreuer found his final resting place on the Heidefriedhof in Berlin-Mariendorf (grave site H II 934/35).

Buildings and designs

• 1951–1952: City Hall Berlin-Kreuzberg on Yorckstraße (with Hartmut Wille)
• 1952–1954: America Memorial Library in Berlin-Kreuzberg (with Fritz Bornemann )
• 1953: Library in the main building of the Technical University of Berlin
• 1954–1960: House for Dr. Pape in Bad Driburg
• 1955–1962: Residential houses in the Haspeler Viertel in Wuppertal
• 1956–1958: Institute for Mining and Metallurgy in Berlin-Charlottenburg , Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1
• 1957: St. Ansgar Catholic Church with parish hall in the Hansaviertel in Berlin, Klopstockstrasse 31
• 1959–1961: ADAC-Gauhaus on Bundesallee in Berlin-Wilmersdorf (with Herbert Stranz)
• 1960–1974: Chemical institutes at the University of Cologne
• 1960–1974: Natural Science Center at the University of Cologne
• 1960–1974: Physics institutes at the University of Cologne
• 1964–1967: Apartment blocks for Degewo in Berlin-Neukölln
• 1968–1970: Institute for Technical Chemistry (Franz Fischer Building) at the Technical University of Berlin

• 

  Town hall Kreuzberg

• 

  America Memorial Library

• 

  Faculty building for mining and metallurgy seen from Hardenbergstrasse , in the foreground the old building (photo 2004, before renovation)

literature

• State Museums of Prussian Cultural Heritage , Berlin Art Library (Ed.): Willy Kreuer. Architectural planning 1929 to 1968. (Exhibition catalog and inventory) Berlin 1980.
• Editorial group Kreuer 100 (Ed.): Willy Kreuer (1910–1984). Kassel / Berlin / Hamburg / Wiesbaden 2012. ( Gray literature , only available in the bookstore Bücherbogen in Berlin)
• Roman Hillmann: The Faculty Building for Mining and Metallurgy at the Technical University of Berlin. Construction, aging, demolition planning, renovation. Michael Imhof Verlag , Petersberg 2013.

Web links

• Contemporary witness Horst Grünberg on Kreuer's Vita at www.nachkriegsmoderne.de
• Willy Kreuer. In: arch INFORM . (to some of Kreuer's buildings in Berlin)
• Buildings outside of Berlin and Kreuer's competition entries in the nrw architecture database
• Details on the Faculty Building for Mining and Metallurgy at www.nachkriegsmoderne.de (however outdated with regard to the demolition plans, building was renovated)
• Holdings on Willy Kreuer in the architecture museum of the TU Berlin , in particular on the Kreuzberg town hall

Individual evidence

1. ^ Roman Hillmann: The first post-war modernity. Aesthetics and perception of West German architecture 1945–63. Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2011, pages 155-182.
2. ↑ Entry in the list of monuments in Berlin
3. ↑ Entry in the list of monuments in Berlin
4. ↑ Entry in the list of monuments in Berlin