Werkbund Baba Estate houses architects contacts architects Jaroslav Fišer (*1904 Liberec +1984 Prague) An architect who studied in the Hague and Vienna and was a student of Josef Gočár at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts. He managed an independent architectural studio together with his brother Karel Fišer. In addition to the Joska House in Baba, they also designed other houses and buildings throughout the country. He was also an expert on lighting design. 1923-1932 studied at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague and Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and in the master class of Professor Josef Gočár in Prague 1932-1934 extended stay in the Netherlands, worked with the architectural studio of H. P. Berlage and the Phillips company 1934-1948 expert on lighting in the project of the State Gallery in Prague in Letná by Josef Gočár 1948-1970 associate professor at the Academy of Arts in Prague, expert in the field of lighting in architecture Significant Works 1932 house of František Joska (on which he cooperated with his brother Karel Fišer), Baba, Prague-Dejvice Karel Fišer (*1905 Liberec +1971 Prague) An architect who studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design and at CTU in Prague and managed an independent architectural studio with his brother Jaroslav Fišer. In addition to the Joska House in Baba, they also designed other houses and buildings throughout the country. 1924-1932 studied architecture at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design and CTU in Prague 1932-1948 independent design studio in Prague in cooperation with his brother Jaroslav Fišer Significant Works 1932 house of František Joska (in cooperation with his brother Jaroslav Fišer), Baba, Prague-Dejvice 1932-1948 villas in Roudnice nad Labem, Liberec and Moravské Budějovice factory buildings in Prague-Modřany and Prague-Hloubětín town rental houses, Chrudimská and Písecká Streets, Prague-Vinohrady reconstruction of the theatre in Mnichovo Hradiště 1947 adjustments to the Světozor Arcade, Prague Josef Fuchs (*1894 +1979 Prague) An architect and builder and a student of Jan Kotěra and Josip Plečnik, who influenced Fuchs’ beginnings with his traditionalist approach. But Fuchs soon found himself part of the constructivist and modernist movement. Together with Oldřich Tyl, he designed the Trade Fair Palace, an icon of interwar functionalism admired by Le Corbusier himself. He worked with an idea of maximum functionality. His projects excel in perfect proportionality and geometric accuracy. He received a number of awards, both at home and abroad, such as the bronze medal at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925 (for interior design) or being made a Knight of the Legion of Honour (for the design of the French exhibition at the Prague Fair in 1930). 1916-1920 studied architecture with Professor Josip Plečnik at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague 1920-1923 cooperated with the studio of Professor Jan Kotěra in Prague 1923-1948 independent architect in Prague Significant Works 1924-1928 Trade Fair Palace, Prague-Holešovice (in cooperation with Oldřich Tyl) 1931 entrance building of the ZOO in Prague-Troja 1932 house of František and Naďa Munk, Baba, Prague-Dejvice 1934 ice hockey stadium in Prague-Štvanice villas in Prague Pelc-Tyrolka and Prague-Dejvice Josef Gočár (*1880 Semtín +1945 Jičín) An architect, professor, urban planner (Hradec Králové and Pardubice), and designer of furniture and articles for daily use. Josef Gočár was a generally respected figure of Czech architecture; he influenced many of his students and the following generations of architects. His works display the world’s rarity of Czech cubism in architecture (the iconic House at the Black Madonna) and rondocubism (the Legiobanka building, Na poříčí Street), the influence of constructivism or even designs in the national or Art Deco style. His professional life culminated with functionalism; the villas of the Baba estate (the Maule, Kytlice and Glücklich Houses) or the Church of St. Wenceslas in Vršovice. In 1925, he received the Grand Prix for his design of the Czechoslovak pavilion at the International Exhibition in Paris and, in 1926, he received the Order of the French Legion of Honour. 1902-1905 studied architecture with Professor Jan Kotěra at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague 1905-1908 cooperated with the studio of Professor Jan Kotěra in Prague 1906 spent several months in London while supervising the Czech installation at the London Exhibition 1908-1945 independent architect in Prague 1908 member of the Mánes Union of Fine Arts 1911 co-founder of the Cubist Group of Fine Artists 1912 co-founder of the Prague Art Workshops (PUD) 1913-1914 member of the Association of Czech Works (SČD) 1916-1919 military service 1920-1924 President of the Czechoslovak Werkbund (SČSD) 1924 professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague 1927 member of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts 1928-1931 Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague 1934 corresponding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Significant Works 1909 Wenke’s House, Jaroměř 1910 Jarušek’s House, Brno 1911-1913 The House at the Black Madonna, Prague-Staré Město 1912-13 Spa Pavilion, Bohdaneč 1920 Czechoslovak Pavilion for the trade fair in Lyon 1922-23 Legiobanka building, Prague-Nové Město 1922-24 Masaryk Square, Hradec Králové 1924-25 building plan of Hradec Králové 1924-1927 school building campus, Hradec Králové 1925 Czechoslovak Pavilion at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, Paris House of Agricultural Enlightenment, Prague-Vinohrady 1928-1930 Church of St. Wenceslas, Prague-Vršovice 1932 Directorate of the Czechoslovak State Railways, Hradec Králové 1932 house of Václav and Jarmila Maule, Baba, Prague-Dejvice 1933-1936 houses of Karel Kytice, Marie and Stanislav Mojžíš-Lom, and Julius Glücklich, Baba, Prague-Dejvice 1934 Tax and District Office, Hradec Králové Otakar Med’s villa, Humpolec Antonín Heythum (*1901 Most +1954 Rottach, Bavaria) A stage designer, graphic artist, architect, and furniture designer. He was at the birth of the Liberated Theatre stage design. He worked briefly in Le Corbusier’s studio in Paris and, in 1936, he received a gold medal at the Triennale in Milan for Theatre Stage Setting. In 1938, he left for the USA to set up the Czechoslovak pavilion for the International Exhibition in New York and the San Francisco Exhibition. He then stayed in the USA and lectured at universities. His work was based on cubism but gradually moved towards the simplicity and versatility of functionalism. He was, above all, a pioneer in theatre constructivism. In furniture-making, he was an advocate of standard functionalist design for series production. He is the co-author of Design for Use from 1944. Together with Evžen Linhart, he designed the Lisý House in Baba. 1920-1924 studied architecture, civil engineering, and ship construction at CTU in Prague 1924-1939 architect, designer, and stage designer in Prague 1939 emigrated to the USA 1940-1941 lectured at the New School for Social Research in New York 1941-1946 lectured at the California Institute of Technology 1946-1950 lectured at Syracuse University Significant Works 1924-1938 stage designs for prominent Czech theatres 1932 house of Marie and Emanuel Lisý (in cooperation with Evžen Linhart), Baba, Praha-Dejvice 1935 Czechoslovak Pavilion at the World Exhibition in Brussels Pavel Janák (*1882 Prague +1956 Prague) An architect, urban planner, designer of furniture and decorations, professor at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, and architectural theoretician. He studied technical studies in Prague at both the Czech and German schools, as well as at the Academy of Art in Vienna. He worked with Josef Gočár at Jan Kotěra’s studio. His works go through several distinct phases: his first period is consciously focused on modernism, then he becomes the leading representative of Czech cubism. He then goes through a period of national style only to end up being entirely devoted to functionalism. He was a long-standing president of the Czechoslovak Werkbund, the main initiator of the functionalist Baba estate, and the author of Baba’s urban plans. In the Baba estate, he designed the Dovolil House as well as his own house. 1899-1905 studied architecture at CTU in Prague 1902-1903 studied at the German Technical High School in Prague 1906-1907 studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna with Otto Wagner 1907-1908 cooperated with the studio of Professor Jan Kotěra in Prague, study trips to Italy 1908 member of the Mánes Union of Fine Arts 1909-1910 employed in the Department of Construction of the Prague City Hall 1911 independent architect in Prague member of the Group of Fine Artists in Prague 1912 co-founder of the Prague Art Workshops (PUD) 1914-1918 military service 1919 state exam at the Czech Technical University in Prague 1921 Professor at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague member of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts 1924-1945 President of the Czechoslovak Werkbund (SČSD) 1935 corresponding member of the Moscow Academy of Architecture 1936-1956 architect of Prague Castle Significant Works 1909-1910 Hlávka’s Bridge in Prague 1911 Jakubec house, Jičín 1912-1913 reconstruction of Dr. Fára’s house, Pelhřimov 1913-1914 weir on the River Labe, Předměřice 1 1914 Villa Pick, Ljubljana 1922 crematorium, Pardubice 1922-1924 Riunione adriatica di Sicurta, Prague-Nové Město (with Josef Zasche) 1923-1924 artists’ colony (villas of J. Benda, B. Kafka, E. Filla and V. Beneš), Prague-Ořechovka 1924-1926 Škoda Palace, Prague-Nové Město Czech Autoclub building, Prague-Nové Město 1924-1928 Libeň Bridge, Prague 1925-1934 reconstruction and extension of the Czernin Palace, Prague-Hradčany 1927 airport, Mariánské Lázně 1927-1928 pavilion of the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design at the Brno Exhibition Centre 1927-1929 block of cooperative houses, Prague-Dejvice 1929-1932 building plan of the Baba Housing Estate, Prague-Dejvice 1932 houses of Pavla and Václav Linda and Ing. Karel Dovolil and his own house, Baba, Prague-Dejvice Juliš Hotel, Prague-Nové Město Congregation of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, Prague-Vinohrady 1934-1935 villa with a studio for the sculptor Josef Mařatka, Prague-Střešovice 1948-1950 renovation of the Riding Hall, extension of garages and terraces, Prague Castle 1950 renovation of the Hall of Ball Games, Prague Castle František Kavalír (*1878 Osek +1932 Prague) An architect, publicist, and building entrepreneur; a student of Jan Kotěra and classmate of Josef Gočár at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. In 1914, he co-founded the Architects’ Society and the “Za starou Prahu” Association; he also co-founded Artěl, an association supporting the Czech art industry, over which he also presided. It brought together progressive personalities of Czech art and design. In the Baba estate, he designed the Letošník House and Uhlíř House, which he built with his brother Václav. They also built other houses not of their design. 1899-1903 studied with Professor Jan Kotěra at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague later he was in construction with his brother Václav in Prague active member of the Artěl Association and the Czechoslovak Werkbund (SČSD) Significant Works around 1923 school, on Vinohradská třída, Prague-Vinohrady around 1925 school, Humpolec around 1927 residential estate, Prague-Hřebenka 1928 triple villa, Prague-Střešovice buildings of the Association of Building Entrepreneurs, Prague-Nové Město 1932 houses of Antonín Uhlíř and Božena and Václav Letošník, Baba, Prague-Dejvice Jan Evangelista Koula (*1896 Prague +1975 Prague) An architect, furniture designer, historian, modern architectural theoretician, designer, teacher, and editor of the “Stavba” Magazine. He was a professor at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and, between 1947 and 1970, also at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. Besides a house in Baba for the publisher Václav Poláček, he also authored a number of unique publications on modern architecture, such as Obytný dům. 1915-1921 studied architecture at CTU in Prague 1924-1928 cooperation with the architectural studio of Oldřich Tyl 1928-1940 independent architect in Prague 1942-1945 professor at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague 1945-1970 professor at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Significant Works 1928 the editor Šalda’s villa, Prague-Smíchov 1932 house of Marie and Václav Poláček, Baba, Prague-Dejvice 1933 summer villa, Lipany 1939 reconstruction of Jan Koula’s villa, Prague-Bubeneč Vojtěch Kerhart (*1892 Poděbrady +1978 Poděbrady) An architect and representative of interwar functionalism. He often cooperated with sculptors on creating monuments. Many of them are now listed as cultural heritage sites. He had his own design studio and was a member of the Art Department of the Czech Artists’ Forum (Umělecká beseda). In the Baba estate, he designed a house for the writer Václav Řezáč. 1911-1922 studied architecture at CTU in Prague 1914-1916 military service in the Austro-Hungarian army 1916-1920 military service in the Czechoslovak Legion in Russia, return via Vladivostok and Canada as a major 1922-1923 employed at the Ministry of Health 1924-1925 employed at the Ministry of Defence 1925-1948 independent architect in Prague and Poděbrady 1948-1957 employed in state design institutes Significant Works 1924 barracks, Pardubice 1926 College of Agriculture, Poděbrady 1927-1928 monuments to President T. G. Masaryk in Poděbrady, Kroměříž, Nitra (in cooperation with Otto Gutfreund) and Kolín (in cooperation with J. Hruška and K. Kotrba) 1928 monument to Napoleon Bonaparte, Žuráň 1929 Štefánik’s House, Prague-Nové Město (in cooperation with Jan Zázvorka) 1930 post office, Poděbrady 1932 house of Karel Řezáč, Baba, Prague-Dejvice 1933 house of Karla Moravcová, Baba, Prague-Dejvice weir and lock, Srnojedy, near Poděbrady 1934 monument to Bedřich Smetana, Poděbrady (in cooperation with Josef Wagner) weir and hydroelectric power plant, Lysá nad Labem villa in Dobřichovice 1934-1937 residential houses for pilots, workshops and police station, Prague-Ruzyně Airport 1935 barracks, Tábor 1937 Prague II radio station, Mělník 1938 Brno II radio station, Dobrochov Poděbrady Colonnade 1939 Karel Čapek’s tombstone, Prague-Vyšehrad villa in Volyně 1948 memorial to the victims of the German occupation, Poděbrady (in cooperation with K. Lidický) 1957 monument to Jan Hus, Husinec (in cooperation with K. Lidický) 1958 kiosk on Rieger Square, Poděbrady Evžen Linhart (*1898 Kouřim +1949 Prague) An architect, furniture designer, and student of Antonín Engel at CTU in Prague. His works are based on purism (co-founder of the “Purist Four” of the Devětsil Association) and Czech modernism, which stood in juxtaposition to the hitherto popular decorativism. Influenced by Le Corbusier, he later became an advocate of functionalism. He was a member of the ARDEV Association and Mánes Union of Fine Arts. His designs, most of which were unfortunately not implemented, combine an extraordinarily artistic dispositional creativity with structural purity and attention to detail. Together with Antonín Heythum, he designed the Lisý House in the Baba estate. 1918-1924 studied architecture with Professors Rudolf Kříženecký and Antonín Engel at CTU in Prague 1924-1945 employed at the Housing Authority at the Prague City Hall 1946-1949 Director of the Department of Exhibitions at the Ministry of Information Significant Works 1924-25 residential block of flats, Prague-Žižkov 1925 residential block of flats, Prague-Hostivař 1927-1929 his own villa, Prague-Dejvice 1932 house of Marie and Emanuel Lisý (in cooperation with Antonín Heythum), Baba, Praha-Dejvice 1938 residential house, Prague-Dejvice 1946-58 collective house of the Stalin chemical plants, Horní Litvínov (in cooperation with Václav Hilský) 1947 Czechoslovak exhibition at the Triennale di Milano Mart Stam (*1899 Purmerend, the Netherlands +1986 Goldach, Switzerland) A self-taught Dutch architect, urban planner and furniture designer; one of the founders of the international ideological association C.I.A.M.; he worked for Hans Poelzig and Bruno Taut’s studios and was the director of the School of Industrial Design in Amsterdam and later the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, as well as the director of the Berlin Art Institute. He was the only foreign architect to work on the Baba estate, where he designed a villa for the builder Palička and his wife Emílie, who discovered his work at the Stuttgart Exhibition in 1927. He designed the iconic dining chair for Thonet. 1917-1919 studied at the Amsterdam University of the Arts 1919 worked in the architectural studio of Marinus Jan Granpré Moliér, Pieter Verhagen and Albert J. T. Kok in Rotterdam 1920-1922 imprisoned for refusing to perform military service 1922 worked on the Hague building plan went to Berlin, cooperated with Max Taut and El Lissitzky 1923 co-founder of the architectural magazine ABC in Zurich 1923-1924 worked in the architectural studio of Karel Moser in Zurich 1925-1928 member of the Dutch group of architects called “De 8”, later renamed as “De 8 en Opbouw” 1926-1927 worked in the architectural studio of Brinkman and Van der Vlugt in Rotterdam 1927 1928-1930 worked in Frankfurt am Main on the “New Frankfurt” housing projects 1931-1934 architect and urbanist in the Soviet Union in Ernst May’s working group (urban projects) 1935-1948 independent architect in Amsterdam 1939-1948 Director of Amsterdam House of Arts Crafts 1948-1952 professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts 1950-1952 Director of the Weißensee Academy of Art in Berlin 1953 return to Amsterdam 1966 relocation to Switzerland Significant Works 1926 steel-tube armchair 1926-30 Van Nelle Factory Rotterdam (in cooperation with the architectural studio of Brinkman and Van der Vlugt) 1927 triple villa, Weissenhof housing estate, Stuttgart 1929-1932 Hellerhof housing estate, Frankfurt 1932 house of Emilie and Jiří Palička, Baba, Prague-Dejvice (in cooperation with Jiří Palička) 1935 terraced houses, Amsterdam Oldřich Starý (*1884 Prague +1971 Prague) A pioneer of Czech functionalism, architect, theoretician, and teacher; he is one of the most prominent figures in Czech modern architecture of the interwar period, with its principles of “new architecture,” purity, truthfulness of form, and the belief that architecture is not an art but a “scientifically-based cultural task.” He soon became a harsh critic of excessive façade decoration. Bearing in mind Le Corbusier’s view of the house as a “machine for living,” he designed four houses in Baba (Heřman, Bouda, Vaváček, and Sutnar). He is the author of the palace building on Národní třída in Prague, which he designed for the Czechoslovak Werkbund in 1936, and he was also the Werkbund’s president from 1935. He also presided over the Architects’ Club and was the editor of the functionalist “Stavba” Magazine. He was a professor and later the rector of CTU in Prague. 1903-1909 studied architecture with Professors Josef Schulz and Jan Evangelista Koula at CTU in Prague 1912-1919 professor at the State Technical School in Pilsen 1913 founding member of the Architects’ Club 1920-1945 professor at the State Technical School in Prague 1920-1948 President of the Architects’ Club 1922-1939 editor-in-chief of the “Stavba” Magazine 1939-1971 editor-in-chief of the “Architektura” Magazine 1945-1970 professor of architecture at CTU in Prague 1948 Rector of CTU Significant Works 1928 house at the Exhibition of Contemporary Culture in Czechoslovakia, Brno 1929-1932 villas in Prague-Dejvice 1934-36 1932 houses of Iška and Ladislav Sutnar, František Heřman, Cyril Bouda and Karla and Gustav Vaváček, Baba, Prague-Dejvice 1934-1936 House of Art Industry on Národní třída in Prague (in cooperation with František Zelenka) 1935 villa in Prague-Braník Hana Kučerová-Záveská (*1904 Prague +1944 Stockholm) An architect, publicist, and progressive furniture and interior designer; a student of Pavel Janák at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design. As a member of the Czechoslovak Werkbund, she subscribed to the ideology of modern architecture: purposefulness of the floor plan, simple furniture which is comfortable yet affordable, and liberation of women from unnecessary housework. She commenced a successful cooperation with the Artěl association, as well as the furniture company Spojené uměleckoprůmyslové závody (UP) in Brno. Her furniture for the Barrandov terraces (1929) was later produced in series for many years. She only designed two houses in her short life – the Balling House and Suk House in the Baba estate. She died at the age of 40 in Stockholm, where she lived with her husband, Czechoslovak ambassador Dr. Vladimír Kučera. 1922-1927 studied architecture with Professors Karel Štípl, Josef Mařatka and Pavel Janák at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague 1928-1937 independent architect and designer in Prague 1937 architect in Stockholm, where her husband Jaroslav Kučera worked as the ambassador Significant Works 1928 restaurant terrace in Barrandov, Prague 1932 houses of Karel Balling and Antonia and Václav Suk, Baba, Prague-Dejvice standard-type kitchen for Zenobie Vítězová, Přerov several interior furnishings and designs for private clients 1933 participation in the “Apartment” exhibition of the Czechoslovak Werkbund (SČSD) in Prague 1934 house in Dobřichovice Ladislav Žák (*1900 Prague +1973 Prague) An architect, painter, interior and furniture designer, theoretician, and teacher; a student of Josef Gočár at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts. During his stay in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, he was interested in functionalist buildings, Bauhaus architecture, and Dutch rationalism. Three exceptional houses in Baba (Zaorálek, Herain, and Čeněk) marked the culmination of his functionalist work in which he applied the functionalist principles: a free floor plan, large rooms connected to outdoor sundecks, bright façades, and strip windows. His work also shows characteristics of the nautical (cabin-like) style: rounded shapes of buildings and windows. For example, he put a captain’s bridge on the roof of the Herain villa. Even his interiors and furniture displayed functionalist and purist characteristics. Following a falling-out with the builders, he focused on landscape architecture and urban planning, which he summarised in the publication Obytná krajina (1947). Under the socialist regime, he remained a lecturer at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts thanks to the architect Frágner. 1919-1924 studied painting with Professor Karel Krattner at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague 1924-1927 studied architecture with Professor Josef Gočár at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague 1927-1930 taught drawing at the technical schools in Brno and Pilsen 1927-1948 independent architect in Prague 1945-1973 associate professor of Garden and Landscape Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague Significant Works 1932 houses of Ludmila and Karel Herain, Bohumil Čeněk and Hugo Zaorálek, Baba, Prague-Dejvice 1932-33 Dr. Ing. Miroslav Hain’s villa, Prague-Vysočany 1934-35 villa of the film director Martin Frič, Prague-Hodkovičky reconstruction of his own residential building with small apartments, Prague-Letná 1936-37 villa of the actress Lída Baarová, Prague-Dejvice 1946 memorial to the victims of WWII, Ležáky Otokar Fischel (*1892 +1944) Autorizovaný civilní inženýr s vlastní projekční kanceláří, specializoval se na menší objekty. Na Babě se podílel na návrhu domu Lužný a domu Bautz a v první etapě spolu s Josefem Fuchsem na návrhu domu Munk. Jako synovec Františka Munka jeho výstavbu až do dokončení dozoroval. Munkovi se do domu stěhovali až po návratu z pracovního pobytu v USA. Stejně tak měl stavební dozor nad Domem uměleckého průmyslu SČSD od architekta Oldřicha Starého.