Haus Marlene Poelzig

The Poelzig family's home and studio in Berlin-Westend was built in 1930 to the design of sculptor and architect Marlene Poelzig. Marlene Poelzig‘s husband was the renowned architect Hans Poelzig. The „Haus Marlene Poelzig“ is an outstanding example of modernist architecture and for the emancipation of women architects in the early 20th century. The floor plan, furnishings and garden of the property at Tannenbergallee 28 are still largely preserved today. The roof was significantly altered after 1945 in the spirit of conservative postwar architecture. 

In the summer of 2020, a petition called for the preservation and monument protection of the building, which has been steadily deteriorating and threatened with demolition; nearly 5,000 signatures were collected. Since then, an initiative of citizens, building culture experts and interested parties has been working both to preserve the remains of the building and to recognize the architect's life's work - representative of many too little appreciated lives of female architects and master builders. As a long-term vision, the initiative aims to establish a scholarship program for female masters of Baukultur, ideally at the site of the Marlene Poelzig House. Since June 18, when an demonstration introducing the initiative's ideas took place in front of Haus Marlene Poelzig, a site-speficic original work by artist Hannah Cooke in honor of Marlene Poelzig has been installed. The event had been part of the Women in Architecture Festival 2021. 
Despite numerous efforts to impede the demolition, as of 1 November 2021 the new property owners started the process. To honour Marlene Poelzig and the initiative's work, and to promote its contionous actions a latern move will take place on 11 November. The paper lanterns by artists Julia Ziegler are designed after Marlene Poelzig's design for the lamps at Berlin's Haus des Rundfunks.

www.hausmarlenepoelzig.de