NEWSLETTER NUMBER SIX

FEBRUARY 2005

--an exhibition to enhance public understanding of the architect’s work in Washington during the Gilded Age by interpreting the impact of Cluss’s revolutionary roots and his social vision on the city’s architecture and life.

Charles Sumner School Museum, Washington DC,
and Stadtarchiv Heilbronn,
September 2005 - February 2006

To join our mailing list and be kept informed about the progress of planning for the exhibition, please send your name, address, and email address to cluss@washington.goethe.org.

PROJECT NEWS:

Calvary Church's Steeple Returns!

Saturday, February 13, Calvary Baptist Church welcomed its new steeple to the Washington skyline. Calvary, designed by Cluss for an abolitionist congregation, had been bereft of its steeple since a storm destroyed it in 1913. With members of the congregation, media, and passersby watching from the ground and the rooftop of the neighboring Hillel Center, a crane gently raised the new steeple into place in a matter of minutes, and the church reclaimed its position as one of Washington's tallest structures. The elaborately decorative tracery of the steeple tops a restored clock tower.

Sängerbund at Worship Service

The Washington Sängerbund, of which Cluss was once a member, participated in Calvary's worship service on Sunday, February 14, singing German hymns representative of Cluss's time period. The church celebrated the installation of its new steeple with a special service, including a reading in German by Benam Gebru, a 16-year-old student in Calvary's after school program.

WHY ADOLF CLUSS?

Peter Wanner, City Historian, Stadtarchiv Heilbronn

Ever since I first learned about Adolf Cluss, I have found him interesting on many levels. He met Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and took part in "big history". Later, he became famous in Washington, one of the world's capitals. It's a rewarding experience working with my colleagues in Washington on such an exciting project and seeing how it has grown and become a cultural focus.

The story of Cluss's life is not widely known in Heilbronn. Part of my work is to show our citizens significant parts of their history and how it is relevant today. During Cluss's life, Heilbronn was full of change, progress, and new ideas. Cluss was a political person, standing for revolution, freedom, and justice. His life and work in Washington show how fruitful a transfer of ideas and political involvement can be. Perhaps he can serve as an example today.

Tanya Edwards Beauchamp, Architectural Historian

I have been working for many years to preserve the remaining buildings designed by this architect who, although he had a major design impact on Washington, was surprisingly little-known. My master's thesis at the University of Virginia School of Architecture in 1972 was an early look at his architectural career and his design for the National Museum--now the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building. Together with the late Richard Hurlbut, former DCPS preservation officer, and architect Marc Fetterman, I have been involved in ongoing efforts to preserve both Franklin and Sumner Schools since that time. My paper "Adolf Cluss, An Architect In Washington During Civil War and Reconstruction," was published in the Records of the Columbia Historical Society in 1972--the first published account of Cluss's career as an architect. My mother and her sister both taught in DC public schools and my daughter Ione graduated from Hawthorne School at Sumner shortly before it was scheduled for demolition. I am very glad to see this project come to fruition and Adolf Cluss finally receive the recognition he deserves. I hope that Cluss's remaining buildings will be preserved for future generations.

NEWS FROM HEILBRONN:

The Adolf Cluss Cube in Heilbronn

The life and work of Adolf Cluss will be presented in a special building in Heilbronn - the Adolf Cluss Cube. Measuring 52 feet long and 16 feet wide, this exhibition pavilion will be constructed of wood with a "skin" ideal for graphic displays. This fascinating space, scheduled for completion in July, will be located near historic sites with Cluss family connections, including the wine villa which Cluss's sister Henriette Faisst developed into an exclusive residence. It will be integrated into the complex of buildings where the Heilbronn City Hall stands, which also includes Wilhelmsbau, a building constructed in the representative "Cluss style" by Heinrich Cluss, Adolf Cluss's father, in 1843-45. The Adolf Cluss Cube will serve as exhibit, meeting, and education space; the interior offers seating, and exhibition pieces will be displayed along the its length. Projection panels at the front of the cube will offer real-time connections between Heilbronn and Washington.

CLUSS FELLOWSHIPS:

Four fellowships - two on each side of the Atlantic - are available in Summer/Fall 2005 for positions in exhibition management and marketing in conjunction with the Adolf Cluss Exhibition Project. Funded by the German Program for Transatlantic Encounters. Apply by March 10, 2005 to washington@adolf-cluss.org for positions in Germany. More information: 202-289-1200 ext. 106.

LECTURE:

On Wednesday, April 6, Dr. Cynthia Field, Office of Architectural History and Preservation at the Smithsonian Museum, will be presenting a lecture entitled "Parisian Planning on the Potomac: The Influence of Paris on the Planning of Washington, DC" sponsored by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. At the VFW Building, 200 Maryland Ave. NW, Main Floor. RSVP to 202-543-8919 ext. 38.

FEATURED BUILDINGS:
AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT BUILDING AND ALEXANDRIA CITY HALL

This month we feature two contrasting buildings designed by Adolf Cluss.

Agriculture Department Building
by Joseph L. Browne, Project Director, Adolf Cluss Exhibition Project

In 1867-68, Adolf Cluss and his partner, J. W. von Kammerhueber, designed and supervised construction of the first Department of Agriculture building, which Cluss boasted cost "twenty-three and three quarters cents per cubic foot." Located between 12th and 14th streets, southwest, the building faced the department's gardens that stretched across the Mall to what is now Constitution Avenue.

An early report described the building as "Renaissance style," constructed of "pressed brick, with brownstone base, belts, trimmings, and cornices." The ceiling of the octagonal entrance vestibule was "decorated with fresco work, around a center representing an arbor vine foliage, and held by American eagles with spread wings; arabesque ornaments are sprung with four medallions illustrating in turn, by landscape, light effect, and human figures, spring, morning and childhood; summer, noon, and youth; autumn, evening and mature age; winter, night, and old age." The first floor offices were richly decorated; the chief clerk's office, for example, was paneled in wainscot in "curly walnut, mahogany, and maple, surmounted by frescoed stucco cornice and a ceiling in complementary colors."

Cluss's design contrasted with the massive, classical style that had previously characterized most of Washington's government buildings. By 1870, Cluss had also designed the adjacent Conservatory for tropical plants. In 1930, both structures were razed, replaced by new buildings just to the south, making way for the 1902 McMillan Commission plan for a 900-foot wide, cleared Mall from the Capitol to the Washington Monument.

Image Credit: D.C. Public Library, Washingtoniana Division

Alexandria City Hall
by Sabina Dugan, Office of Architectural History and Preservation, Smithsonian Institution

After a fire destroyed the Alexandria City Market House in May 1871, Adolf Cluss drafted plans for a new building, following an expanded footprint of the original market hall, using a U-shaped configuration with central courtyard. The lower west and north sides of the building accommodated market stalls, while town offices occupied the upper floors of the west wing; Masonic Lodge rooms were housed on the upper floors of the central (north) wing; and police and fire stations were located on the lower east wing with court rooms above. Additionally, the new structure incorporated an exact replica of the town clock tower, designed by Benjamin Latrobe in 1817, fully funded by Alexandria residents. During construction, Cluss often visited Alexandria to meet with the contractors. On October 31, 1871, the Alexandria Gazette reported that Cluss ordered the rebuilding of an interior wall since it "had not been put up according to the provisions of the contract." By July 19, 1873, however, Cluss was pleased with the results, stating that the nearly completed building was "one of the best jobs that ever came within his knowledge." Cluss had chosen the Second Empire style, with a five-part plan which emphasized the central entrance pavilions and incorporated minimal façade ornamentation. One notable exception was the inclusion of carved Masonic symbols on window lintels along the north façade. A mid-twentieth century renovation altered the market (south) façade; however, Cluss's original design remains evident along Cameron Street, where the Masons have honored Cluss's achievement with a plaque near the entrance.

Image Credit: Lloyd House, Alexandria, Virginia

NOAA'S HERITAGE WEEK:

"Treasures from NOAA's Ark" and Multimedia Gallery

NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) exhibited a sampling of instruments, maps, and other artifacts used by personnel of the NOAA legacy agencies (which include the Coast & Geodetic Survey, Weather Service, and Marine Fisheries Service) during its Heritage Week February 7-11. Adolf Cluss was a member of the Coastal Survey in 1849-50, and assisted in surveying and mapping the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland's eastern shore. Images from the exhibit can be viewed at: preserveamerica.noaa.gov/hw_gallery.html.

Planning for the exhibition, slated to open in Washington and Heilbronn, Germany, Cluss's birthplace, in 2005, is a cooperative effort among many institutions in Washington and Heilbronn, Germany.

Exhibition Contact:
Harriet Lesser, Exhibition Coordinator
c/o Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives
1201 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036-3009
harriet.lesser@comcast.net

Project Director:
Joseph L. Browne, Ph.D.
c/o Friends of the Goethe-Institut Washington
812 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001-3718
jbrow@fcc.net

About the exhibitions in Germany and the USA:
www.adolf-cluss.org

About Adolf Cluss:
www.goethe.de/cluss

Cluss Electronic Newsletters

SUPPORT THE ADOLF CLUSS EXHIBITIONS AND RELATED PUBLIC EVENTS

"Friends of the Goethe-Institut Washington" has set up a special account to receive tax-deductible donations in support of the Adolf Cluss Project. Send your check (payable to "Friends of the Goethe-Institut Washington") to:

Friends of the Goethe-Institut Washington
812 Seventh St, NW
Washington, DC 20001-3718

This project is made possible thanks to generous support from the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany, with funds from the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labor (BMWA), the MARPAT Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Humanities Council of Washington, DC. A cooperative project of the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, the German Historical Institute, Washington, DC, Goethe-Institut Washington, the Historical Society of Washington, DC, the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Architectural History and Historic Preservation and the Stadtarchiv Heilbronn.