Mendelsohn, Erich

Erich Mendelsohn early on attracted a great deal of attention with his structures, especially the Einstein Tower in Potsdam. The WOGA complex with the cinema Universum – today Schaubühne; the department stores in Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Breslau and Chemnitz; the Columbus-Haus on Potsdamer Platz; and residences such as the Bejach house and the duplex on Karolingerplatz all contributed to his international reputation. Jewish clients nevertheless remained prominent in Mendelsohn’s lifework. Already in April 1933 Mendelsohn left Germany with his wife and immigrated – otherwise than his sympathy for Zionism might indicate – first to England and after 1939 to Palestine. In 1941 he immigrated to the USA. “After he had to leave the land of his birth and the terrain of his childhood memories, he remained homeless for the rest of his life” (Ita Heinze-Greenberg).
Unlike almost all the other Jewish architects persecuted in Germany, Mendelsohn was immediately able to pursue his career in exile. He died in 1953 – fully active professionally and academically until the end.