Detlef Lienau

Detlef Lienau (February 17, 1818 Uetersen – August 29, 1887) was a German architect born in Holstein. He is credited with having introduced the French style to American building construction, notably the mansard roof and all its decorative flourishes. Trained at L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he designed virtually every type of Victorian structure—cottages, mansions, townhouses, apartment houses, hotels, tenements, banks, stores, churches, schools, libraries, offices, factories, railroad stations, and a museum. Lienau was recognized by clients and colleagues alike as one of the most creative and technically proficient architects of the period, and was one of the 29 founding members of the American Institute of Architects.

Lienau was born in an area of Denmark that later became part of Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1848 and on May 11, 1853, he married Catherine Van Giesen Booraem. It was his first marriage and her second. Lienau and Catherine had five children: Jacob August Lienau (1854-1906), Detlef Lienau II, Catherine Cornelia Lienau, Lucy Lienau, and Louise Lienau. All but the eldest son, J. August, died young. His great-great-great-granddaughter is Jane Lienau, a prestigious teacher of classics at Brunswick High School while his great-great-great-grandson, Mark Lienau, is a professional raft guide who teaches high school physics in his spare time. J. August followed in his father’s footsteps and became an architect, designing mostly residential structures after taking over his father’s practice in 1887. He later formed a partnership with Thomas Nash, which lasted through the late 1920s.

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