The Wertheim department store on Leipziger Platz, which opened on 15 November 1897, triggered massive traffic congestion upon its debut and signaled a departure from historical architectural traditions. Alfred Messel designed the structure to emphasize verticality and function, marking a pivotal moment in the transition toward modern metropolitan architecture in Germany during the late nineteenth century.
Formative Years and Education
Born in 1853 in Darmstadt, Alfred Messel was the son of banker Simon Messel and Emilie Lindheim. He attended the Ludwig-Georgs-Gymnasium, graduating in 1872. Following a year of service as a volunteer in the First Grand Ducal Hessian Royal Guard Infantry Regiment, he studied at the Kunsthochschule Kassel in 1873. He later attended the Bauakademie in Berlin between 1874 and 1878, where he studied under Heinrich Strack and Richard Lucae.
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Messel began his career as a civil service trainee, contributing to a post office building on Spandauer Straße. After earning his qualifications as an assessor, he joined the Berlin Architects Society in 1879. He won the Schinkel Prize in 1881 for his exhibition building plans on Tempelhofer Feld. In 1886, he left civil service to practice privately, later teaching at the Unterrichtsanstalt des Kunstgewerbemuseums Berlin from 1894 to 1896.
Architectural Legacy
Messel worked extensively with the Wertheim department store dynasty, creating the first German department store following the French model in 1894 on Oranienstraße. His later work on the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, initiated in 1907, established a neoclassical monumentality. Although he died in 1909 before its completion, his designs guided the construction process overseen by Ludwig Hoffmann until 1930.
Fast facts
- Born: 1853, Darmstadt
- Died: 1909, Berlin
- Education: Bauakademie (1874-1878)
- Religion: Judaism (converted to Lutheranism in 1899)
- Notable Award: Order of the Red Eagle 4th Class (1899)
- Notable Award: Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art (1906)
- Academic Honor: Honorary doctor, Technische Universität Darmstadt (1906)
- Burial: Alter St.-Matthäus-Kirchhof Berlin
Questions readers ask
What is Alfred Messel best known for?
He is recognized for pioneering a new style of metropolitan architecture, specifically his work on the Wertheim department stores and the Pergamon Museum.
Where are his architectural plans kept?
His construction plans and architectural drawings are preserved at the Architecture Museum of the Technische Universität Berlin.
Achievements
- Affiliated with Unterrichtsanstalt des Kunstgewerbemuseums Berlin
- Educated at Ludwig-Georgs-Gymnasium, Kunsthochschule Kassel and Bauakademie
- Worked as architect, university teacher and military personnel