Lexicon of Vienna Architects (1880-1945)

Research on 19th and early-20th century architecture is still hampered by an extreme lack of academic background work on the period. A number of architects` work may have been covered in monographs, however these tend to focus on the best-known individual artists and proponents of early-Modernism, i.e. the few exceptional architects of the Ringstrasse era. If, however, one is looking for information on a less prominent architect then the only major source remains the dictionary of artists published from 1907 in 37 volumes by Thieme-Becker (Allg. Lexikon der bild. Künstler). As useful as this project remains, the index has gaps based on what was known at the time, and a number of entries are quite simply inaccurate. This notwithstanding, the information provided in this reference work is still relied upon today in fundamental contexts, which means that existing errors and imprecise details are constantly being reproduced. The same applies to the information about early-Modernist architects contained in Marco Pozzetto`s book Die Schule Otto Wagners. The project summarised here therefore aims both to correct existing errors while also, and primarily, including architects not previously taken into consideration in reference works. The period it covers has been fixed from 1880 to 1945. Envisaged is a dictionary of architects with approximately 700 entries. It covers all of the architects who managed to complete a number of projects in Vienna or at least one monumental building, but also those architects who were influential in other ways, e.g. as educators or theorists. As well as each architect`s biographical details, it will also include details of their training, field of work or the influence they exercised in an architectural context, and brief characterisations of their individual stylistic approaches. Basic architectural hypotheses that had a decisive influence on the approaches taken or that were given special attention by specialists of the time are covered. The dictionary is also to provide details of key buildings and unrealised projects of significance. The findings of the research are added to an online database on a regular basis. There are currently 270 entries available, and a total of approximately 400 entries are scheduled to be online by autumn 2006 (www.architektenlexikon.at). Following a second project, at the end of 2007 the Dictionary of Architects should contain about 700 entries.

Research on 19th and early-20th century architecture is still hampered by an extreme lack of academic background work on the period. A number of architects` work may have been covered in monographs, however these tend to focus on the best-known individual artists and proponents of early-Modernism, i.e. the few exceptional architects of the Ringstrasse era. If, however, one is looking for information on a less prominent architect then the only major source remains the dictionary of artists published from 1907 in 37 volumes by Thieme-Becker (Allg. Lexikon der bild. Künstler). As useful as this project remains, the index has gaps based on what was known at the time, and a number of entries are quite simply inaccurate. This notwithstanding, the information provided in this reference work is still relied upon today in fundamental contexts, which means that existing errors and imprecise details are constantly being reproduced. The same applies to the information about early-Modernist architects contained in Marco Pozzetto`s book Die Schule Otto Wagners. The project summarised here therefore aims both to correct existing errors while also, and primarily, including architects not previously taken into consideration in reference works. The period it covers has been fixed from 1880 to 1945. Envisaged is a dictionary of architects with approximately 700 entries. It covers all of the architects who managed to complete a number of projects in Vienna or at least one monumental building, but also those architects who were influential in other ways, e.g. as educators or theorists. As well as each architect`s biographical details, it will also include details of their training, field of work or the influence they exercised in an architectural context, and brief characterisations of their individual stylistic approaches. Basic architectural hypotheses that had a decisive influence on the approaches taken or that were given special attention by specialists of the time are covered. The dictionary is also to provide details of key buildings and unrealised projects of significance. The findings of the research are added to an online database on a regular basis. There are currently 270 entries available, and a total of approximately 400 entries are scheduled to be online by autumn 2006 (www.architektenlexikon.at). Following a second project, at the end of 2007 the Dictionary of Architects should contain about 700 entries.