WAGNER, Otto

Otto Wagner designed this armchair for the dispatch office of the journal Die Zeit, 39 Kärtner Strasse, Vienna. It was produced by Jacob & Josef Kohn, Vienna.

In the context of furniture, caning is a method of weaving chair seats and other furniture either while building new chairs or in the process of cane chair repair. In common use, “cane” may refer to any plant with a long, thin stem. However, the cane used for furniture is derived from the rattan vine, native to Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Sugar cane and bamboo should not be confused with the rattan cane.

Otto Wagner designed this armchair for Karl Lueger, mayor of Vienna.

Wagner’s late projects from 1903 radically continued the transformation of the work of Schinkel, Van der N�ll and Semper, as seen in his two master buildings: the sanatorium church of Kirche am Steinhof (also called Leopoldskirche), the church of the Steinhof Asylum in Penzing outside Vienna, and the Postsparkasse (1903-12), also in Vienna. These buildings are considered his most revolutionary work; both utilized new materials - steel, glass, aluminium - and innovative modes of construction in a highly successful fusion of functional building and aesthetic vision.

The church is built on a Greek cross plan, surmounted by a steel-framed semicircular dome with a tall drum on an octagon. The domed ceiling within is carried on a gilded steel mesh. A modified Roman Doric order is expressed in four giant columns that pierce the projected transom of the entrance arch, to be crowned by bronze statuary below a deep, coffered cornice outlining the shallow narthex, transepts and sanctuary.

The Jugendstil angels in gilded bronze are by Othmar Schimkowitz (1864-1947). On the two bell towers framing the fa�ade, two saints (Leopold on the right and Severin on the left) by Richard Luksch (1872-1936) occupy seats designed by Josef Hoffmann.

There is abundant decoration, submitted to a linear stylization kept within rectangles and squares. Although remotely Byzantinesque in character, it appears non-historicist and very much in the spirit of works by younger architects, such as Josef Maria Olbrich and Peter Behrens.

Otto Wagner incorporated numerous features specifically related to the church’s function within an asylum: e.g. there are very few sharp edges and most corners are rounded; almost no crosses are visible; the priest’s area is potentially entirely separate from the patients’; access to the pulpit is only from the vestry; emergency exits are built into the side walls in case a patient needed to be speedily removed; continuously flowing water replaced holy water stoups at the entrance; there were separate entrances for male and female patients since gender segregation was mandatory in mental institutions at the time; confessionals were more open than is customary. There were toilet facilities easily accessible within the church in case of patient need. Originally the pews were of different widths to accommodate different categories of a patient: calm/restless/disturbed (the latter needing more space). The floor is raked as in a theatre, though not as steeply; the fall from the entrance to the altar is approximately 26 centimetres: standing at the back the view to the altar is thus less obstructed.

The elaborate and brightly coloured mosaic behind the ornate altar represents the reception of the departed soul into heaven via an ornate trompe-l’oeil staircase. The altarpiece is by the mosaicist Leopold Forstner (1878-1936).

Otto Wagner incorporated numerous features specifically related to the church’s function within an asylum: e.g. there are very few sharp edges and most corners are rounded; almost no crosses are visible; the priest’s area is potentially entirely separate from the patients’; access to the pulpit is only from the vestry; emergency exits are built into the side walls in case a patient needed to be speedily removed; continuously flowing water replaced holy water stoups at the entrance; there were separate entrances for male and female patients since gender segregation was mandatory in mental institutions at the time; confessionals were more open than is customary. There were toilet facilities easily accessible within the church in case of patient need. Originally the pews were of different widths to accommodate different categories of a patient: calm/restless/disturbed (the latter needing more space). The floor is raked as in a theatre, though not as steeply; the fall from the entrance to the altar is approximately 26 centimetres: standing at the back the view to the altar is thus less obstructed.

The magnificent windows at the sides of the church portray seven saints (named underneath each frame), fulfilling Christ’s commands both temporal (feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc.) and spiritual. Above them are a pair of flying angels and a quotation from the Beatitudes. The stained glass windows were executed by Koloman Moser.

Wagner’s late projects from 1903 radically continued the transformation of the work of Schinkel, Van der N�ll and Semper, as seen in his two master buildings: the sanatorium church of Kirche am Steinhof (also called Leopoldskirche), the church of the Steinhof Asylum in Penzing outside Vienna, and the Postsparkasse (1903-12), also in Vienna. These buildings are considered his most revolutionary work; both utilized new materials - steel, glass, aluminium - and innovative modes of construction in a highly successful fusion of functional building and aesthetic vision.

The church is built on a Greek cross plan, surmounted by a steel-framed semicircular dome with a tall drum on an octagon. The domed ceiling within is carried on a gilded steel mesh. A modified Roman Doric order is expressed in four giant columns that pierce the projected transom of the entrance arch, to be crowned by bronze statuary below a deep, coffered cornice outlining the shallow narthex, transepts and sanctuary.

The Jugendstil angels in gilded bronze are by Othmar Schimkowitz (1864-1947). On the two bell towers framing the fa�ade, two saints (Leopold on the right and Severin on the left) by Richard Luksch (1872-1936) occupy seats designed by Josef Hoffmann.

There is abundant decoration, submitted to a linear stylization kept within rectangles and squares. Although remotely Byzantinesque in character, it appears non-historicist and very much in the spirit of works by younger architects, such as Josef Maria Olbrich and Peter Behrens.

A significant early work by Wagner is the Länderbank in Vienna. Its external appearance could have held its own among the Functionalist works of the 1920s. During this period Wagner was developing an approach based upon the integration of decoration with underlying forms related to building function rather than prescribed styles, which enabled him to develop flexible spatial planning systems that became common practice only decades later.

A significant early work by Wagner is the Länderbank in Vienna. Its external appearance could have held its own among the Functionalist works of the 1920s. During this period Wagner was developing an approach based upon the integration of decoration with underlying forms related to building function rather than prescribed styles, which enabled him to develop flexible spatial planning systems that became common practice only decades later.

The fa�ade of Majolica House is entirely covered with majolica or colourful glazed earthenware tiles in the floral designs which characterized the early Vienna Secession. It was not only decorative but had a practical purpose; the tiled fa�ade could be easily cleaned by using fire hoses.

The Linke Wienzeile buildings also feature very ornate wrought-iron decoration on the balconies and in the elevator cages and stairways in the interior in keeping with the early Secession style.

The photo shows a balcony of Majolica House.

In 1898, Wagner produced two residential blocks in Vienna, the Linke Wienzeile Buildings at Linke Wienzeile 38 and 40. Made in the Vienna Secession style, they are both lavishly decorated with colourful tiles, sculpture and wrought iron. The house at Linke Wienzeile 40, popularly known as the Majolica House, has a fa�ade covered with majolica or glazed earthenware tiles in floral designs. The other at Linke Wienzeile 38 is called the Medallion House, for the bronze medallions on the fa�ade. It also features sculpted angels on the roof. A third building nearby, at K�stlergasse 3, was the town residence of Otto Wagner for a time.

The form of the crisp, flat, six-storey urban fa�ade of Majolica House, with its positive cornice and iron balconies to the lower two storeys, is reminiscent of Schinkel’s work: Wagner covered the fa�ade in faience with flat, flowing patterns in pinks, blues and greens - only the ten lions’ heads immediately below cornice level are in relief.

Although the fa�ade is flat and rectilinear, not curvilinear like some Art Nouveau architecture, the external decoration shows the influence of Art Nouveau (or Jugendstil).

In 1898, Wagner produced two residential blocks in Vienna, the Linke Wienzeile Buildings at Linke Wienzeile 38 and 40. Made in the Vienna Secession style, they are both lavishly decorated with colourful tiles, sculpture and wrought iron. The house at Linke Wienzeile 40, popularly known as the Majolica House, has a fa�ade covered with majolica or glazed earthenware tiles in floral designs. The other at Linke Wienzeile 38 is called the Medallion House, for the bronze medallions on the fa�ade. It also features sculpted angels on the roof. A third building nearby, at K�stlergasse 3, was the town residence of Otto Wagner for a time.

The form of the crisp, flat, six-storey urban fa�ade of Majolica House, with its positive cornice and iron balconies to the lower two storeys, is reminiscent of Schinkel’s work: Wagner covered the fa�ade in faience with flat, flowing patterns in pinks, blues and greens - only the ten lions’ heads immediately below cornice level are in relief.

Although the fa�ade is flat and rectilinear, not curvilinear like some Art Nouveau architecture, the external decoration shows the influence of Art Nouveau (or Jugendstil).

The photo shows a detail of the roof and windows below it on the rounded corner of the building.

This building is called the Medallion House, for the bronze medallions on the fa�ade.

The Linke Wienzeile buildings also feature very ornate wrought-iron decoration on the balconies and in the elevator cages and stairways in the interior, keeping with the early Secession style.

The photo shows the stairwell in Medallion House.

In 1898, Wagner produced two residential blocks in Vienna, the Linke Wienzeile Buildings at Linke Wienzeile 38 and 40. Made in the Vienna Secession style, they are both lavishly decorated with colourful tiles, sculpture and wrought iron. The house at Linke Wienzeile 40, popularly known as the Majolica House, has a fa�ade covered with majolica or glazed earthenware tiles in floral designs. The other at Linke Wienzeile 38 is called the Medallion House, for the bronze medallions on the fa�ade. It also features sculpted angels on the roof. A third building nearby, at K�stlergasse 3, was the town residence of Otto Wagner for a time.

The building is known as Medallion House because of its decor of gilded stucco medallions by Wagner’s student and frequent collaborator, Koloman Moser. The building also features very ornate wrought-iron decoration on the balconies and in the elevator cages and stairways in the interior, keeping with the early Secession style.

The picture shows the Medallion House at the corner of Linke Wienzeile and K�stlergasse. Notable are the rounded corner and the decorative iron and glass porch.

The Majolica House at Linke Wienzeile 40 can be seen on the left side of the photo.

The photo shows the entrance door.

In 1898, Wagner produced two residential blocks in Vienna, the Linke Wienzeile Buildings at Linke Wienzeile 38 and 40. Made in the Vienna Secession style, they are both lavishly decorated with colourful tiles, sculpture and wrought iron. A third building nearby, at K�stlergasse 3, was the town residence of Otto Wagner for a time. It is the simplest of the three buildings but emanates total elegance. Most notably, on the ground floor and mezzanine, the pure white fa�ade with circle-shaped and rectangular ornaments and green slim window frames shows grooves.

During the 1870s, Wagner designed and built speculatively the first of a career-long series of 13 large residential blocks, all modelled to a greater or lesser extent on his family home and each of which Wagner lived in briefly until the next had been built. Those at Schottenring 23 (1877) and Stadiongasse 6-8 (1882) are typical examples, with rusticated lower floors and trabeated openings; the former has an ornate iron balcony to the three central rooms of the second floor.

During the 1870s, Wagner designed and built speculatively the first of a career-long series of 13 large residential blocks, all modelled to a greater or lesser extent on his family home and each of which Wagner lived in briefly until the next had been built. Those at Schottenring 23 (1877) and Stadiongasse 6-8 (1882) are typical examples, with rusticated lower floors and trabeated openings; the former has an ornate iron balcony to the three central rooms of the second floor.

The building at Stadiongasse 6-8 presently houses the Embassy of Columbia.

Wagner built the residential block on the corner of Neustiftgasse and D�blergasse in Vienna (1909), its upper four storeys with simple undecorated surfaces and window openings and its ground and first floor with black tiles applied in stripes and rectangles.

The two apartment buildings at Neustiftgasse 40 (1909) and D�blergasse 4 (1911) were erected on two adjacent parcels. They clearly show Otto Wagner’s interpretation of the urban apartment building. In their simplicity, the buildings reflect socio-economic conditions.

In the D�blergasse building was the last city apartment of Otto Wagner, as well as his last studio. This building housed the Otto Wagner Archive from 1985 to 2003.

Wagner built the residential block on the corner of Neustiftgasse and D�blergasse in Vienna (1909), its upper four storeys with simple undecorated surfaces and window openings and its ground and first floor with black tiles applied in stripes and rectangles.

Wagner built the residential block on the corner of Neustiftgasse and D�blergasse in Vienna (1909), its upper four storeys with simple undecorated surfaces and window openings and its ground and first floor with black tiles applied in stripes and rectangles.

The two apartment buildings at Neustiftgasse 40 (1909) and D�blergasse 4 (1911) were erected on two adjacent parcels. They clearly show Otto Wagner’s interpretation of the urban apartment building. In their simplicity, the buildings reflect socio-economic conditions.

In the D�blergasse building was the last city apartment of Otto Wagner, as well as his last studio. This building housed the Otto Wagner Archive from 1985 to 2003.

Otto Wagner created this model around 1895-96 and used it in his first villa in H�ttelbergstraße 26 and in his apartment, 3 K�stlergrasse 3 in Vienna.

In 1894, following his competition success, Wagner was commissioned to design the buildings and installations for the 45 km-long Stadtbahn in Vienna. In this project, he developed one of the most important unified schemes for an urban transport system (completed 1901). Several lines were planned to link the city with its suburbs; the scheme eventually also encompassed flood regulation and embankment development of the Donaukanal. Joseph Maria Olbrich, who entered Wagner’s office in 1894, also worked on the project, which involved some 36 stations, abutments, cuttings, open tunnels, 15 bridges and viaducts, in addition to platform buildings, signal boxes and the gamut of associated furnishings and equipment. The remarkable consistency in the designs, carried out in iron, stone and brickwork, indicates that Wagner maintained close personal control of the whole project.

After the systematic and artistic exploration of the Doric column in the Stadtbahn and of the form of the great Sphinx in the floodgates at Nußdorf, Jugendstil played a minor role in the work of Wagner and his pupils.

Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station is a former station of the Viennese Stadtbahn. The two buildings above ground on Karlsplatz are well-known examples of Jugendstil architecture. They were designed by Otto Wagner, adviser to the Transport Commission in Vienna, and Josef Maria Olbrich, and are, unlike the other Stadtbahn stations, made of a steel framework with marble slabs mounted on the exterior.

The station was opened as Akademiestraße in 1899. When the Stadtbahn line was converted to U-Bahn in 1981, the original station was scheduled to be demolished. However, as a result of public outcry, it was decided to keep the station buildings. Both buildings were disassembled, renovated, and then reassembled two metres higher than their original location after completion of U-Bahn construction. One of the buildings is now used as an exhibition space by the Vienna Museum, with an U-Bahn entrance in its rear; the other is used as a caf�.

Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station is a former station of the Viennese Stadtbahn. The two buildings above ground on Karlsplatz are well-known examples of Jugendstil architecture. They were designed by Otto Wagner, adviser to the Transport Commission in Vienna, and Josef Maria Olbrich, and are, unlike the other Stadtbahn stations, made of a steel framework with marble slabs mounted on the exterior.

The station was opened as Akademiestraße in 1899. When the Stadtbahn line was converted to U-Bahn in 1981, the original station was scheduled to be demolished. However, as a result of public outcry, it was decided to keep the station buildings. Both buildings were disassembled, renovated, and then reassembled two metres higher than their original location after completion of U-Bahn construction. One of the buildings is now used as an exhibition space by the Vienna Museum (left), with an U-Bahn entrance in its rear; the other is used as a caf� (right).

Karlsplatz station is lent its distinctive character by two pavilions facing each other on either side of the tracks. Unlike the other Stadtbahn stations, which were finished in plaster, these pavilions employ a steel skeleton clad on the exterior with slabs of marble and on the interior with slabs of white plaster. The slabs bear a sunflower motif which also appears on the semicircular gable. Their Secessionist Jugendstil decor makes these two “functional” buildings appear almost luxurious.

Karlsplatz station is lent its distinctive character by two pavilions facing each other on either side of the tracks. Unlike the other Stadtbahn stations, which were finished in plaster, these pavilions employ a steel skeleton clad on the exterior with slabs of marble and on the interior with slabs of white plaster. The slabs bear a sunflower motif which also appears on the semicircular gable. Their Secessionist Jugendstil decor makes these two “functional” buildings appear almost luxurious.

Far from being eclectic, Wagner’s earliest executed works display an inner unity deriving from the use of a common basic form underlying the planning and detailed design. The outwardly Moorish-style Synagogue in Budapest, for example, is based on the octagon, which is reflected in the fa�ade towers and details, the shape of the hall and windows, and even the candlesticks and candelabra.

The Rumbach Street synagogue in the inner city of the historical old town of Pest was built to serve the more conservative members of the Neol�g community of Pest.

The recently restored octagonal, balconied, domed synagogue is intricately patterned and painted in Islamic style. It was built not as a replica of, but as a homage to the style of the octagonal, domed Dome of the Rock Muslim shrine in Jerusalem.

The recently restored octagonal, balconied, domed synagogue is intricately patterned and painted in Islamic style. It was built not as a replica of, but as a homage to the style of the octagonal, domed Dome of the Rock Muslim shrine in Jerusalem.

The photo shows the interior view of the dome.

The recently restored octagonal, balconied, domed synagogue is intricately patterned and painted in Islamic style. It was built not as a replica of, but as a homage to the style of the octagonal, domed Dome of the Rock Muslim shrine in Jerusalem.

In 1886 Wagner had built for his own use his first villa at H�tteldorf, near Vienna. The left pergola was converted into a studio in 1900. In 1911 he sold the villa and built a new one at H�ttelbergstraße 28. In 1972, the painter Ernst Fuchs acquired the building for use as the Ernst Fuchs Museum.

The second Villa Wagner at H�ttelbergstraße 28 was built in 1912.

In 1886 Wagner built his first villa at H�ttelbergstraße 26, Penzing, near Vienna. In 1911, he sold it and built a new one at H�ttelbergstraße 28. This second villa was designed on an asymmetrical, rectilinear plan and had a band of coloured, rectangular tiles in a counterchange pattern.

The glass decoration above the portal depicts Theseus with the Head of Medusa. It is the work of Koloman Moser.

Wagner’s later years were marked by critical acclaim but relatively few major commissions. The �sterreichische Postsparkasse (Austrian Postal Savings Bank, 1904-6) and the Kirche am Steinhof (St. Leopold’s Church, 1905) were among his last buildings, and are considered his most revolutionary work. Both utilized new materials - steel, glass, aluminum - and innovative modes of construction in a highly successful fusion of functional building and aesthetic vision.

Wagner’s late projects from 1903 radically continued the transformation of the work of Schinkel, Van der N�ll and Semper, as seen in his two master buildings: the sanatorium church of Kirche am Steinhof (also called Leopoldskirche), the church of the Steinhof Asylum in Penzing outside Vienna, and the �sterreichische Postsparkasse (1903-12), also in Vienna. These buildings are considered his most revolutionary work; both utilized new materials - steel, glass, aluminium - and innovative modes of construction in a highly successful fusion of functional building and aesthetic vision.

The design for the �sterreichische Postsparkasse (Austrian Postal Savings Bank), one of his best-known works, won a competition (1903) and is based on a logical trapezoidal plan with a banking hall at its centre. The six-storey entrance fa�ade, surmounted by a simple Sezessionstil pergola flanked by winged figures, has large windows set in walls faced with white marble with aluminium fixings.

Wagner’s late projects from 1903 radically continued the transformation of the work of Schinkel, Van der N�ll and Semper, as seen in his two master buildings: the sanatorium church of Kirche am Steinhof (also called Leopoldskirche), the church of the Steinhof Asylum in Penzing outside Vienna, and the �sterreichische Postsparkasse (1903-12), also in Vienna. These buildings are considered his most revolutionary work; both utilized new materials - steel, glass, aluminium - and innovative modes of construction in a highly successful fusion of functional building and aesthetic vision.

The design for the �sterreichische Postsparkasse (Austrian Postal Savings Bank), one of his best-known works, won a competition (1903) and is based on a logical trapezoidal plan with a banking hall at its centre. The six-storey entrance fa�ade, surmounted by a simple Sezessionstil pergola flanked by winged figures, has large windows set in walls faced with white marble with aluminium fixings. The central space of the banking hall (modified 1980s) had a glass vault of stilted elliptical section carried on riveted steel columns and a floor with glass lenses to light the basement below; aluminium ventilation bollards ranged around the wall added to the illusion of an industrial aesthetic. The bank owed its atmospheric effect to the impression of silver light produced by glass, aluminium and marble.

One of the earliest icons of the Modern Movement, it is contemporary with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Larkin Building, pre-dates Peter Behrens’s Turbinenfabrik in Berlin by several years and marks the achievement of Van der N�ll’s concept of a tradition-driven modern architecture of the future.

The central space of the banking hall (modified 1980s) had a glass vault of stilted elliptical section carried on riveted steel columns and a floor with glass lenses to light the basement below; aluminium ventilation bollards ranged around the wall added to the illusion of an industrial aesthetic. The bank owed its atmospheric effect to the impression of silver light produced by glass, aluminium and marble.

The photo shows the main hall.

The central space of the banking hall (modified 1980s) had a glass vault of stilted elliptical sections carried on riveted steel columns and a floor with glass lenses to light the basement below.

The photo shows the glass-tile floor of the main hall.

The central space of the banking hall (modified 1980s) had a glass vault of stilted elliptical sections carried on riveted steel columns and a floor with glass lenses to light the basement below.

The building had little decoration; it is recognized as a milestone in the history of modern architecture, particularly for the curving glass roof of its central hall.

The photo shows the skylight in the main hall.