Egon Sally Fürstenberg’s story intertwines with the Haus Supf. Built in 1873, the Haus Supf started as a mansion for the Zimmermann family. Architect Wilhelm Neumann designed this initial structure.
In 1891 and 1892, architects Rudolph Speer and Heino Schmieden transformed the building. They added another story and an annex to the Haus Supf. This expansion marked a significant change in its appearance.
Businessman Egon Sally Fürstenberg purchased the Haus Supf in 1904. He commissioned architects Hoeniger and Sedelmaier to rebuild and enlarge it again in 1924. The Fürstenberg family then occupied the Belle Etage.
Professor Dr. Wilhelm Zinn and his family rented one of the upper floors. Zinn was a notable figure. He served as chief physician at Bethanien Deaconess Hospital from 1900. In 1909, he became the directing physician of the Second Internal Department of the Moabit Hospital. From 1921 to 1938, he taught at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin.
Zinn’s family had connections to Berlin’s museum scene. He was the son-in-law of Karl Theophilus Richard Schöne. Schöne directed the Berlin museums. He was also Wilhelm von Bode’s predecessor. Zinn’s wife, Clara Zinn, was an author. She published “Kinderspiel und Spielzeug” in 1918, a book about children’s play and toys that saw multiple reprints.
However, dark times loomed for the Haus Supf. In 1938, Egon Sally Fürstenberg was forced to emigrate because of his Jewish faith. This resulted in him selling his house to the Association of Berlin Artists VBK. The VBK was under Nazi-approved direction at the time.
During bombing raids over Berlin’s city center in 1943, the Haus Supf was severely damaged. It was gutted by fire. The VBK’s library and archive, founded in 1841, were lost.
After the war, the Haus Supf faced demolition. Like many surrounding buildings, it was on the demolition list. Nikolaus Sakrekow, a German-Russian painter and chairman of the VBK exhibition committee intervened. He secured a reconstruction permit.
Under Sakrekow’s supervision, two floors of the front part of the building were restored. In February 1950, the “Kulturzentrum Lützowplatz” opened. The press celebrated it as a new cultural center.
From 1951, the second floor became a district gallery. The Tiergarten Office for the Arts used it. It showcased exhibitions by artists like Vincent van Gogh, Oskar Kokoschka, Marc Chagall and Paula Modersohn-Becker.
The British Military Administration took trusteeship of the house in 1948. They deemed the 1938 sale to the VBK as a forced sale. A court decision in 1959 returned ownership to the Fürstenberg heirs.
In 1960, the Berlin SPD, led by Willy Brandt, formed a sponsoring association. Their goal was to preserve the exhibition house for public and cultural use. In February 1961, the Fördererkreis Kulturzentrum Berlin e.V. legally purchased the property.
Extensive reconstruction and renovation began with support from the state of Berlin and the German Lottery. Architect Fritz Gras added another floor to the street-front wing. He divided the courtyard building into units for a guest house.
The Tiergarten Office of the Arts remained a tenant until 1995. They collaborated with the Fördererkreis on various exhibitions. The VBK moved its headquarters in 1964.
In the 1960s, the “Domizil” restaurant bar in the basement became central to the Haus Supf’s identity. Wolfgang Neuss performed there over 700 times. In 1999, the “Trompete” club relaunched with Ben Becker and Dimitri Hegemann as founders.
In 1988, Volkmar Haase created a new entrance. It featured a stainless-steel stairway through a façade window. A five-meter-high abstract portal sculpture was installed near the old main entrance.
Today, the Haus Supf stands as a testament to Berlin’s resilience. It symbolizes the city’s commitment to art, culture and remembrance. It houses the Cultural Foundation of the States, the Federal Cultural Foundation and other cultural organizations.