The State Trade School in Vienna served as both a foundational site of learning and a professional home for Ernst Lichtblau, who graduated in 1902 before returning as a teacher of furniture design from 1906 to 1914. His early career bridged the gap between traditional Austrian residential forms and the emerging requirements of twentieth-century modernist architecture.
Formative Years and the Wagner School
Born in Vienna in 1883 into a family involved in the manufacture of Meerschaum pipes, Lichtblau received his formal training at the State Trade School and later at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Between 1902 and 1905, he studied in the master class of Otto Wagner, a pivotal experience that influenced his approach to design. From 1905 until 1914, he also maintained a professional relationship with Josef Hoffmann.
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In 1904, Lichtblau traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to document ancient residential buildings. His sketches, published in 1907 in the journal Der Architekt, highlighted the cubist forms and cascading rooflines of structures near the Jajce Fortress. He attempted to synthesize these indigenous characteristics into contemporary villa designs, incorporating elevated access zones, walled courtyards, and specific window proportions. These studies represented an early effort to define a modern style based on regional historical precedents, a concept he later applied to projects in Vienna.
Communal Housing and Career in Vienna
Lichtblau operated as a freelance architect in Vienna from 1910 to 1939. During the 1920s, he collaborated with the Wiener Werkstätte and later participated in the social housing initiatives of Rotes Wien. His work in the city included a housing consultation role at the Karl-Marx-Hof and contributions to the Vienna Werkbundsiedlung. Notable projects attributed to him include the building known as the chocolate house in Vienna-Hietzing and sections of the Paul-Speiser-Hof.
Exile and Legacy
The geopolitical shift of 1939 necessitated Lichtblau's emigration from Austria. After transiting through Britain, he settled in the United States and secured a teaching position at the Rhode Island School of Design. He remained in the United States until his death in 1963, though he passed away in Vienna. His contributions to the city are marked by the naming of Lichtblaustraße in the 22nd district and the Ernst-Lichtblau-Park in the 5th district.
Fast facts
- Born: 1883, Vienna
- Died: 1963, Vienna
- Education: State Trade School; Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
- Mentor: Otto Wagner
- Professional partner: Josef Hoffmann
- Emigration year: 1939
- Citizenship: Austria; United States
Questions readers ask
What was the focus of Lichtblau's research in Bosnia?
He studied indigenous residential architecture to identify cubist forms and structural elements suitable for translation into modern building standards.
Where did Lichtblau teach after leaving Austria?
He became a teacher at the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States.
Achievements
- Trained at State Trade School, Austria and Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
