Berlin is a gorgeous city with a unique architectural style. We first chose to do our project on Walter Gropius because we noticed some of the gorgeous and colorful architecture in the neighborhoods of Berlin, and were interested in learning more about it, due to our minimal art or architectural background. We actually came across some areas in Berlin that were designed by Walter Gropius himself, and showcase his modernist styles. For example, the housing in Berlin-Siemensstadt and an area named after him called Gropiusstadt both showcase the modernist style buildings. At first glance, we thought Walter was simply like any other architect who happened to work in Germany. Upon further investigation, however, we found that Walter contributed much more to the German society, and is arguably one of the most famous architects from Berlin. In addition to his architectural contributions in Germany, Walter Gropius supported Germany through his service as a soldier in World War I. We learned that his time in the war altered his architectural perspectives from the idea that art must express the economic character of modern society to the idea that the greatness of art was more important than any of the utilitarian considerations. Walter’s architectural career was anything but simple also, as he faced much adversity due to the Nazi regime, which led to the closing of his Bauhaus school. After looking at the history of the time period in which he worked, Walter’s modern ideas were very radical which ultimately led to the Nazi disapproval. Despite the adversity, Gropius thrived and is still considered one of the leaders of the modernist movements.
During our research on Walter Gropius, we came across his work with Peter Behrens, the artist with whom he joined at the beginning of his career, who was one of the first members of the utilitarian school. In addition to his architectural work, Behrens is famous for establishing the concept of “corporate identity” which is the basis of an industrial company and its brands. Behrens is well known for creating the AEG logo and the industrial design of appliances that takes into account aesthetics and the specific function of the object, which is a similar technique used by Walter Gropius. Gropius’s relationship with Behrens is actually what spurred his interest in progressive architecture. We also learned about Adolf Meyer, an individual Walter worked with to create his famous shoe factory, the Fagus Works factory, and to create the model office and factory buildings in Cologne for the Werkbund Exposition. Adolf Meyer also taught technical drawing and construction for Walter’s school. To our surprise, we found that Gropius has done extensive architectural work in the United States, which still exists today. Walter Gropius served as the chairman of the architectural department at Harvard University, which has consistently been rated as one of the top architectural schools in the United States. He is actually credited for starting the movement to end imitative architecture in the United States. We were interested and surprised to find that Walter Gropius became a naturalized United States citizen in 1944. Marcel Breuer, one of his former Bauhaus students, helped Walter design his house in Massachusetts using white-painted wood and fieldstone. Upon our return home, we would both like to visit his famous house in Massachusetts that he built for his family.
Above is a picture of Walter Gropius’ home in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
Lauren grew up in a small town in northeast Ohio called Hudson, Ohio. It is an affluent community with little racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity. Berlin is obviously much bigger than Hudson and has much more diversity due to its higher immigrant population. Despite its small size, Hudson is home to several business headquarters such as Joann-Fabrics, Windstream Communications, and Little Tikes. The people from Lauren’s hometown are a lot friendlier than Berliners, and are more open about their lives, thus it is very common for gossip to spread around like wildfire. Additionally, Hudson has virtually no public transportation system compared to Berlin’s extensive and user-friendly technology. The architecture of the buildings in Hudson is of a colonial style which is vastly different from the modernist designs of Berlin’s buildings. Despite some of the differences, it is quite obvious that the people of Hudson like their German cars. There are many Audis, Mercedes-Benzes, and Porsches driving around Hudson. These German cars are often viewed as high-quality, safe, and are typically driven to demonstrate one’s high socioeconomic status through their ability to afford one. There are other aspects of the two cities that are similar. For instance, many of Hudson’s shops are not open on Sundays, or are open for limited hours in an attempt to give the workers ample time with their families and religions. Additionally, I have noticed the many parks and green areas sprinkled around Berlin, which is something that Hudson has as well.
Pictured above is downtown Hudson, Ohio
Chrissy comes from a town just north of Columbus, Ohio called Mansfield. Around 50 years ago Mansfield stood as one of Ohio’s main shopping centers where people from all over the state would meet. Because of its central location, many Ohioans and tourists drive thru the town whether it’s on their way to work or if they’re passing through the state. In recent years, Mansfield suffered when the economy took a large hit. The General Motors factory, which brought in several thousands of jobs, shut down and caused the city to cash and become more rural. Mansfield compares to Berlin in the fact that there are many immigrant workers who move to the city in order to gain citizenship and to make more money than they are making in their home country. Mansfield is home to many corn and soybean fields, so it is not uncommon to meet a migrant worker from Mexico who speaks little English. In comparison to Berlin, Mansfield locals are much more welcoming and helpful towards language barriers. This could be because Ohio doesn’t have as much tourism as Berlin does, so they have more patience because it is not as common. Besides these small similarities, Mansfield is very different from the big city of Berlin. The architectural work within Berlin is very modern and simplistic; much of this movement can be attributed to Walter Gropius. Even the suburbs of Berlin demonstrate modernism with an extensive use of windows, sleek structures, and neutral tones for each part of the façade. Mansfield tends to vary when it comes to architectural structures. The city has few skyscrapers in the downtown area and they all have a basic reflective window façade. When it comes to the suburbs, houses vary from every shape, size, and style, so there is no common theme like Berlin seems to have.
Below is a photo of downtown Mansfield and the few tall buildings of the city.
