Erich Mendelsohn - Petersdorff Department Store

          At the turn of the 20^th Century, the Modern Architecture movement began to take hold. This movement would attract many famous architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, and Mies van der Rohe. In the early part of the Modern Architecture Era, Expressionism began to develop in Northern Europe. The Expressionist style adopted some of the characteristics of Modernist Architecture.

          The Petersdorff Department Store building is a great example of this blending of Expressionism and Modernism. Built in 1928, the building contains layers of brick and glass stacked on top of each other. Mass production of brick, steel, and glass allowed for more possibilities in architecture and structure, and allowed the expressionists to create interesting organic forms. This is evident in the façade of the store which is created by a large overhanging structure that bends itself around the corner of the two adjacent streets.

          I like how the use of the steel and glass in the structure seem to make the brick layers float on top of each other. The streamline look of the building is also interesting as it makes the front façade seem longer than it actually is.

          In my drawing and cutting of the building, I focused on the façade of the building and the vertical layering of the structure.