Fritz Eisenhofer

Fritz Eisenhofer
ONZM FNZIA
Eisenhofer in 2010
Born
Friedrich Eisenhofer

(1926-11-14)14 November 1926
Spittal an der Drau, Austria
Died27 July 2023(2023-07-27) (aged 96)
Peka Peka, New Zealand
CitizenshipNew Zealander
Alma materAcademy of Fine Arts Vienna
OccupationArchitect
Spouse
Helen Rickard
​
(m. 1955)​
PracticeWinkler and Eisenhofer
Design
  • Suzy's Coffee Lounge

Friedrich Eisenhofer ONZM (14 November 1926 – 27 July 2023) was a New Zealand modernist architect based in Waikanae.

Biography

Eisenhofer was born in the Austrian town of Spittal an der Drau on 14 November 1926,[1] and studied architecture at the Kunstakademie in Vienna after the Second World War.

Lounge and dining room of a house designed by Eisenhofer, photographed by Duncan Winder in about December 1965

Eisenhofer emigrated to New Zealand in 1953 in a group of almost 200 skilled Austrian tradesmen contracted to build 500 pre-cut Austrian state houses in Tītahi Bay (Porirua).[2] After the completion of the project, Eisenhofer gained New Zealand residency and began working at the Department of Housing in Wellington. In the late 1950s he went into partnership with fellow Austrian architect Erwin Winkler, setting up practice at 108 Cuba Street, Wellington. Their style adhered to the principles of the modern movement, heavily influenced by architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Charles Eames.[3]

Eisenhofer married Helen Rickard in 1955, and the couple had three children.[4] Eisenhofer became a naturalised New Zealander in 1960.[1]

Eisenhofer has been described as a visionary architect[5] who practised "uncompromised high-style modernism".[6] He is noted for his stylish, modern design in 1964 of Suzy's Coffee Lounge in Willis Street, Wellington,[7] which is the subject of the 1967 oil-on-hardboard painting, At Suzy's Coffee Lounge, by Rita Angus.[8]

For much of his career, Eisenhofer's work has focused on solar gain and a relationship to the surrounding landscape.[9] His own home was dome-shaped, built four metres underground and made from ferro-cement. The large north-facing glass wall regulates the temperature by slowly heating the ground floor through summer. This heat is then gradually released during winter. Inside, the home has a swimming-pool and a tropical garden.[10]

In the 2010 New Year Honours, Eisenhofer was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to architecture.[11]

Eisenhofer died at his home at Peka Peka on 27 July 2023, at the age of 96.[4][12] His wife, Helen Eisenhofer, died in October 2024.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "New Zealand, naturalisations, 1843–1968". Ancestry.com Operations. 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. ^ Wolfsberger, Margit (2012). "Österreichische Migration nach Neuseeland" [Austrian migration to New Zealand]. In Mückler, Hermann (ed.). Österreicher in der Südsee: Forscher, Reisende, Auswanderer [Austrians in the South Seas: Explorers, Travellers, Emigrants]. Austria: Forschung und Wissenschaft: Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie (in German). Vol. 1. Münster: LIT Verlag. p. 300. ISBN 9783643503909. Retrieved 18 August 2014. Neben kleineren Gruppen von ArbeitsmigrantInnen für Fabriksarbeiten oder in Krankenhäusern kamen zwischen 1952 und 1953 194 österreichische Handwerker nach Neuseeland, um ein staatliches Hausbauprojekt in Porirua, einem Nachbarort von Wellington, durchzuführen. [...] Diese Gruppenmigration war ursprünglich zeitlich befristet, ging allerdings nach Beendigung der Dreijahresverträge als 'Gastarbeiter' in individuelle Migration und den Verbleib im Migrationsland über.
  3. ^ Wells, Catherine. "Pleasuredome," New Zealand Home and Entertaining, Jun/Jul (2003): 66–70.
  4. ^ a b Boyack, Nicholas (26 August 2023). "Fritz Eisenhofer, a 'property porn' star and architect". The Post. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  5. ^ Brown, Beverley. "Buried Treasures," The Independent on Sunday, 24 April 2005, p. 34–36.
  6. ^ Lloyd Jenkins, Douglas. At Home: A Century of New Zealand Design (Auckland: Random House, 2004), 228.
  7. ^ Tóth, Gábor. "The impact of design and technology on Wellington café culture, from the 1930s milk bar to the 1960s coffee bar" (PDF). New Zealand History Online. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  8. ^ "At Suzy's Coffee Lounge". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  9. ^ Fritz Eisenhofer
  10. ^ International Listings - 25 Incredible Personal Biodomes
  11. ^ "New Year honours list 2010". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Friedrich Eisenhofer obituary". The Post. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Helen Eisenhofer obituary". The Post. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.