Franz Schuster

Although Franz Schuster is listed in the Art Catalogue for the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a German, he was an Austrian architect and furniture designer. He studied in Wien (Vienna), but he initially worked in Dresden, where he was involved in the construction of Gartenstadt (garden city) Hellerau. From 1923-25 he was chief architect of the Austrian Association for Settlement and Allotment Gardens in Wien.

In 1927 Schuster moved to Frankfurt, and from 1928-33 he was Head of the Class of Housing and Interiors at the Städel School, while from 1933-36 was Secretary-General of the International Union for Housing in Frankfurt. In 1932, he began the planning of the Opel bath in Wiesbaden together with Wilhelm Hirsch and Edmund Fabry. The pool was built in 1933-34 in the Bauhaus style on the southern slope of the Neroberg. The white structures and terraces bounded by “railings” are features of the nautical architecture. The bath has been extended several times and is now a listed building. Subsequently, Schuster returned to Wien (Vienna).

Although Schuster was highly involved in planning the demolition of the Jewish Quarter Leopoldstadt in Wien (Vienna) for building up the Wiener Parteiforum, similar to the Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nürnberg, he was named a professor in 1950 and was still allowed to teach. He also acted as adviser to the housing department of the City of Vienna.