Kontorhaus District Brick Giants

The Afrikahaus features a decorative stone relief of an elephant head protruding above its main entrance on Große Reichenstraße. Built in eighteen ninety-nine, this building served as the headquarters for the Woermann Line, a shipping…

The Miramar Haus features a bright, white-rendered facade that stands out sharply against the darker brickwork common in this corner of Hamburg. Built in nineteen oh nine, it served as a bustling office building for shipping companies…

The Montanhof wears a facade of dark, rough-hewn basalt stone, making it look heavier and more grounded than the red brick buildings common in Hamburg. Built in nineteen twenty-four, this office block served as the headquarters for ore and…

The Mohlenhof in Hamburg-Altstadt is a brick office block defined by a sharp, prow-like corner that mimics the bow of a ship jutting toward the intersection of Mohlenhofstrasse and Burchardstrasse. Designed by the architect brothers Hans…

The Sprinkenhof dominates the Hamburg cityscape with its dark, clinker-brick façade and rows of carved terracotta figures. Designed by Hans and Oskar Gerson in the late nineteen twenties, this office complex reflects the architectural…

The Chilehaus rises like the prow of a massive stone ship, its sharp eastern corner slicing into the Hamburg sky. This ten-story office block, finished in nineteen twenty-four, uses dark brown clinker bricks to mimic the jagged edges of a…

The Messberghof rises ten stories high with a facade of dark clinker bricks arranged in sharp, rhythmic patterns. When the architects Hans and Oskar Gerson completed it in nineteen twenty-four, it served as one of the first office…