Facade Art, Chamber of Commerce, Vienna

Next door to the famous Otto Wagner-designed Postsparkasse building in Vienna stands another sort of monument, built at almost the same time for the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.

It’s not especially notable for its overall design, a mix of Art Nouveau with historical/classicist styles. What marks it as special, at least for me, is the line of half-basement windows on the side. Above each is a lead relief showing some of the various trades, industries and professions represented by the Chamber, which occupied the building from 1907 to 2019.

The reliefs are the work of two artists, Jakob Gruber und Emanuel Alexander, who worked with the architect Ludwig Baumann.

They’re not the only decorative feature to the building, of course. Nice ironwork and more on balconies and windows, and, around the corner near the building’s main entrance, some imposing creatures prowl the columns, and a clock is mounted above the door. These

The building is now used as extra office space by the Austrian Parliament; the Chamber of Commerce’s new building, opened in 2019, is hardly a match for what it left behind.

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Teresa Lee
1 month ago

Hey Mr heymont how are you? I love your blog

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