Alfred Fischer (architect)
Encyclopedia
Alfred Fischer was a German architect.
Born in Stuttgart
, Alfred Fischer studied from 1900 to 1904 at the Stuttgart Technical University of Architecture under Professor Theodor Fischer
(no relation). In 1904 he deferred the 1st State examination and from 1905/1906 worked in Berlin as an assistant for the urban design consultant Ludwig Hoffmann and from 1906 to 1908 with Paul Schultze-Naumburg
. In 1909 he became a teacher at the College of Arts and Crafts in Düsseldorf
(Kunstgewerbeschule
Düsseldorf) under Wilhelm Kreis
. From 1911 to 1933 he led the Essen Arts and Crafts School (later called the Folkwangschule). In 1921 he was awarded a professorship. In 1929 he was awarded an Engineering doctorate from the Hannover Technical University.
Fischer was a member of the German Architects Federation (Bund Deutscher Architekten - BDA) and an executive member of the Deutscher Werkbund
(DWB). Apart from his teaching activity he worked freelance as an architect, for some years in partnership with the architect Richard Speidel.
After the change of power in 1933 to the Nazis, as an advocate of modern architecture (see Neue Sachlichkeit, modernism, Bauhaus
) and modern training concepts, he experienced increasing difficulties with the school. He was given time off and soon after moved into premature retirement. Fischer left Essen and moved to Murnau.
The Ruhrgebiet has Alfred Fischer to thank for numerous buildings, important examples of regional architectural history and also a legacy of acknowledged contributions to industrial culture.
The title 'Alfred Fischer-Essen' has been given to him to distinguish him from the architect Alfred Fischer who was active at the same time in Karlsruhe
. He died at Murnau am Staffelsee
in 1950.
Born in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Alfred Fischer studied from 1900 to 1904 at the Stuttgart Technical University of Architecture under Professor Theodor Fischer
Theodor Fischer
Theodor Fischer was a German architect and teacher.Fischer planned public housing projects for the city of Munich beginning in 1893. He was the joint founder and first chairman of the Deutscher Werkbund , as well as member of the German version of the Garden city movement...
(no relation). In 1904 he deferred the 1st State examination and from 1905/1906 worked in Berlin as an assistant for the urban design consultant Ludwig Hoffmann and from 1906 to 1908 with Paul Schultze-Naumburg
Paul Schultze-Naumburg
Paul Schultze-Naumburg was a Nazi architect and one of Nazi Germany's most vocal political critics of modern architecture...
. In 1909 he became a teacher at the College of Arts and Crafts in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
(Kunstgewerbeschule
Kunstgewerbeschule
A Kunstgewerbeschule was the old name for an advanced school of applied arts in German-speaking countries. The first such schools were opened in Kassel in 1867 and Berlin and Munich in 1868 with other German towns following. They are now merged into universities....
Düsseldorf) under Wilhelm Kreis
Wilhelm Kreis
Wilhelm Kreis was a prominent German architect and professor of architecture, active through four political systems in German history: the Wilhelmine era, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the foundation of the Federal Republic.Kreis was born in Eltville am Rhein in Hesse-Nassau...
. From 1911 to 1933 he led the Essen Arts and Crafts School (later called the Folkwangschule). In 1921 he was awarded a professorship. In 1929 he was awarded an Engineering doctorate from the Hannover Technical University.
Fischer was a member of the German Architects Federation (Bund Deutscher Architekten - BDA) and an executive member of the Deutscher Werkbund
Deutscher Werkbund
The Deutscher Werkbund was a German association of artists, architects, designers, and industrialists. The Werkbund was to become an important event in the development of modern architecture and industrial design, particularly in the later creation of the Bauhaus school of design...
(DWB). Apart from his teaching activity he worked freelance as an architect, for some years in partnership with the architect Richard Speidel.
After the change of power in 1933 to the Nazis, as an advocate of modern architecture (see Neue Sachlichkeit, modernism, Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
) and modern training concepts, he experienced increasing difficulties with the school. He was given time off and soon after moved into premature retirement. Fischer left Essen and moved to Murnau.
The Ruhrgebiet has Alfred Fischer to thank for numerous buildings, important examples of regional architectural history and also a legacy of acknowledged contributions to industrial culture.
The title 'Alfred Fischer-Essen' has been given to him to distinguish him from the architect Alfred Fischer who was active at the same time in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
. He died at Murnau am Staffelsee
Murnau am Staffelsee
Murnau am Staffelsee is a market town in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region of Bavaria, Germany.Murnau is situated on the edge of the Bavarian alps, approx. 70 km south of Munich. Directly to its west is the Staffelsee lake.-History:Murnau was first documented in...
in 1950.
Buildings
- Prospect and water tower at Zeche Mont Cenis, 1912-1913, HerneHerne, GermanyHerne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.- History :Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century...
-Sodingen, in the Volkspark - Factory for the Pit Emil Zeche Königin Elisabeth, 1913, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
-Frillendorf, Elisabethstraße - Pit for Zeche Sachsen I/II, 1912-1914, HammHammHamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...
-Heessen, Sachsenweg (1922-1925 additional buildings by Fischer) - So-called 'Patriotic Monument', 1913, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
-Bredeney, in the municipal forest west of Bredeneyer Straße - Power stationPower stationA power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
'Vorgebirgszentrale', since 1917: 'Goldenberg-Works (and/or 'Kraftwerk Goldenberg'), for the Rheinisch-Westfälische Elektrizitätswerke AG (RWE), 1913-1914, HürthHürthHürth is a town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Hürth shares borders with the city of Cologne.-Geography:Hürth is situated about 9 km to the southwest of Cologne city centre, at the northeastern slope of the natural preserve Kottenforst-Ville.The town, consisting of...
-Knapsack - Pumping plant, Alte EmscherAlte EmscherAlte Emscher is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
for the Emschergenossenschaft (Emscher Cooperative), 1914, DuisburgDuisburg- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
-Hamborn-Beeck, Alsumer Straße - 'Volkshaus Rotthausen' (Rotthausen Community Centre), 1919-1920, GelsenkirchenGelsenkirchenGelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
-Rotthausen, Grüner Weg 3 - Kern House, 1922-1923, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
-Bredeney, Hohe Buchen 12 - Own House of Alfred Fischer, 1922-1923, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
-Bredeney, Hohe Buchen 5 - Administration building of AG für Hüttenbetrieb, 1923-1925, DuisburgDuisburg- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
-MeiderichMeiderichMeiderich is a quarter of the city of Duisburg. It is divided into Unter-, Mittel- and Obermeiderich.Meiderich belongs to the city district Meiderich/Beeck, which started in 1975, during the course of municipal reorganization. On the 31 December 2004, 75,000 people lived in the district...
(Obermeiderich), Emscherstraße 57 - Parish Church of St. Antonius, 1924-1925, Castrop-RauxelCastrop-Rauxel-Geography:Castrop-Rauxel is between Dortmund to the east, Bochum , Herne , and to the north, Recklinghausen, Datteln and Waltrop.- Urban Area :The urban area of Castrop-Rauxel has an total expanse of...
-Ickern, Ickerner Straße 66 - 'Hans-Sachs-Haus' (Office building with shops, concert hall and hotel), 1924-1927, GelsenkirchenGelsenkirchenGelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, Ebertstraße / Munkelstraße / Vattmannstraße - Winding tower for Zeche Königsborn Pit III/IV, 1924-1929, Altenbögge (today called BönenBönenBönen is a municipality in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated between Hamm in the north-west and Unna in the south-east.- References :...
) - Sachsse House, 1926-1927, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
-Bredeney, Walter-Sachsse-Weg 8 - Pumping station and smelter for the Emschergenossenschaft, 1927, DuisburgDuisburg- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
-Hamborn-Schwelgern, Neue Schwelgernstraße 135 - Imhoff House, 1927-1928, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Robert-Schmidt-Straße 8 - Richard Hessberg House, 1928, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
-Bredeney, Stocksiepen 12 - Administration building for the 'Siedlungsverband Ruhrkohlenbezirk' (today: Regionalverband Ruhr), 1929, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Kronprinzenstraße 35 - Lyseum (today: High SchoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
), 1929-1930 (1931?), EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
-Bredeney, Grashofstraße 55/57 - Riding sports hall, 1932, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Wittenbergstraße