Graduating from the Technische Universität Berlin in 1916, Lotte Cohn was among the first women to complete a degree in architecture from the faculty. Her professional trajectory moved from reconstruction efforts in East Prussia to establishing an influential practice in Mandatory Palestine, where she became a central figure in integrating early Modernist principles into the regional architectural landscape.
Early Training and European Context
Born in Charlottenburg in 1893, Lotte Cohn was the youngest of seven children of Bernhard and Cäcilie Cohn. She entered the Technische Hochschule in 1912. Following her graduation, she spent the period from March 1917 to April 1919 working in the reconstruction offices of Pillkallen, Tilsit, and Gumbinnen. Upon returning to Berlin, she served as an assistant to architect Richard Michel before moving to Jerusalem in 1921.
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In Jerusalem, Cohn joined the office of architect and city planner Richard Kauffmann. During this tenure, she contributed to development plans for garden suburbs in Jerusalem, the design of kibbutzim and moshavim on Mt Carmel in Haifa, and a garden city proposal near Afula. Her individual commissions from this time included the agricultural girls' school in Moshav Nahalal and the first children's house in Israel at Kibbutz Heftziba. She also designed a house and private clinic for Theodor Zlocisti in Tel Aviv.
Professional Organizations and Transitions
Cohn was a founding member of the Association of Architects in Palestine in 1923, an organization that evolved into the Association of Engineers and Architects in Israel. In 1934, she helped form an architect's circle designed to continue the legacy of a dissolved Berlin group that had included Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe. Her professional journey included a stint with the Public Works Department of Mandatory Palestine under Austen St. Barbe Harrison and a return to Germany between 1929 and 1930 to work with Arthur Korn, a designer associated with Bauhaus architects.
Independent Practice in Tel Aviv
After returning to Palestine in 1930, Cohn established her own architectural office in Tel Aviv. Her first independent project was a hotel for Käte Dan at 97 HaYarkon Street. She also designed residences for Gershom Scholem and Hugo Bergmann at 51 Ramban Street, and a house at 28 Abarbanel Street. Facing a significant influx of refugees, much of her output shifted to residential housing, where she applied Modernist ideas like recessed windows and projecting panels, elements that prefigured the Brutalist style.
Fast facts
- Born: 1893, Charlottenburg
- Died: 7 April 1983, Tel Aviv
- Education: Technische Universität Berlin
- Profession: Architect
- Citizenship: Germany, Israel
- Burial site: Southern Tel-Aviv Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What characterized Lotte Cohn's architectural style?
She focused on Modernist principles, adapting them to the local climate and conditions of Mandatory Palestine, while utilizing features such as recessed windows and projecting panels.
When did Lotte Cohn retire?
She remained active in her own firm until her retirement in 1968.
Achievements
- Trained at Technische Universität Berlin
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