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Eichstaedt House

Berlin, Germany
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On the corner lot Dreilindenstrasse 30, shielded by hedges and fences from the street, stands one of the lesser-known residential buildings of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Built in 1921-23 for the bookseller Georg Eichstaedt, the house is one of the eight residential buildings realized in Berlin and the surrounding area between 1906 and 1925, of which Mies later distanced himself partly because of its neoclassical tendencies. In the literature, these buildings are now re-evaluated as important works in the development of Mies van der Rohe and as evidence of his preoccupation with the architecture of Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Peter Behrens. In spite of their traditional elements, the residential buildings also demonstrate the flair of the artist for well-proportioned buildings, for simple elegance of design and for quality craftsmanship.

The original design was based on Mies strict geometrization of the structure - which subordinated the garden design with pergola and hedges - the play with symmetry and asymmetry and the close connection of interior and exterior based on: The cube-shaped two-storey building was on the east side a semicircular bay window and on the southwest corner with a square open veranda, which overlapped with the corner of the house slightly asymmetrical. The terrace at an angle between the house and the veranda, elevated four steps above the garden, occupied the same area as the main living room behind it, which extended across the whole width and half the depth of the house and opened to the terrace with three French windows. The kitchen and hall were arranged in the northern half of the ground floor. The narrow, flat pyramidal roof with a narrow cornice, the lightly polished outer walls without articulating elements, and the even rows of flush-mounted windows emphasize the radical reduction in shape and the clarity of the design. Due to the closure of the veranda and an extension on the west side, both the cube shape of the house and the plan layout were changed as early as 1928. However, the two facades facing the street and the garden, which are now covered by wild wine, are almost unimpaired, including the original plaster, which is slightly reflective due to the enclosed stones. Inside, the ground floor layout is changed in the area of the hall and kitchen.

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bostjan, March 9th, 2019
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