Bruno Ahrends

Bruno Ahrends (1878–1948), born as Bruno Arons, was an internationally known German architect, who worked in Berlin, Germany. He was a representative of Berlin Modernism Housing Estates before World War I and during Weimar Republic (1910s to 1930s). Most of his creations today are under Cultural heritage management, some are part of a World Heritage Site.

Bruno Arons was born in Berlin, Germany on 9 April 1878 as the eldest son of Berlin banker Barthold Arons (1850–1933) and his wife Bertha (1855–1932). He was raised in wealthy conditions in Villa Arons close to Großer Wannsee southwest of Germany’s capital. He had two younger siblings, Katharine (1879–1969) and Edmund (1883–1965). His uncle was the entrepreneur, philanthropist and patron of the arts, Henri James Simon.

Due to cultural assimilation, in 1904 he changed his biblical family name Arons to the German sounding Ahrends, possibly at the same time that he and his siblings converted to Christianity. That same year he married Johanna Springer (1882–1970), the granddaughter of German publisher Julius Springer. They became three sons and one daughter, Hans Peter Bruno Ahrends (1905–2001), Steffen Ahrends (1907–1992), who also became an architect, Marianne (1910–1994) and Gottfried Bruno (born 1917).

Ahrends wanted to study Shipbuilding at Kaiserliche Werft in Kiel but at imperial shipyards any participation of Jews was excluded. When visiting the Alsatian city of Strasbourg, Ahrends was so impressed by the Strasbourg Cathedral that he turned to architecture. He studied at the Technical University of Munich and later at Technische Hochschule Charlottenburg. After graduating in 1903 he worked as a referendary for the public construction works managements of the cities Magdeburg and Hanover. During that time Ahrends completed his second state examination.

...
Wikipedia