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Gropius and the Teddy Bear: a tale of two factories

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2017

Brenda Vale  and
Robert Vale
Brenda Vale
Affiliation:
[email protected]
Robert Vale
Affiliation:
[email protected]
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Extract

The architecturally radical Steiff teddy bear factory in Giengen, Germany is a three storey, double skin glass curtain wall building with a steel frame, built in 1903. It is almost unknown in architectural history. On the other hand the loadbearing brick Fagus factory built in 1911 to a design by Gropius and Meyer, in spite of its nineteenth century technology, has become a hallowed icon of modern architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The article discusses the contested history of both buildings and offers some suggestions as to why one became famous and the other did not. It also discusses the equally contested history of the teddy bear, showing that in both cases, history tends to ignore facts in favour of good stories.

Type
History
Information
arq: Architectural Research Quarterly , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , December 2016 , pp. 345 - 356
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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