Dr.-Ing. Marie Frommer
Architektin Marie Frommer
Born: 18 March 1890, in: Warsaw
Died: 16 November 1976, in: New York
Faculty: Mathematics
Academic title: Dr.-Ing.
Marie Frommer was born in Warsaw on 18 March 1890 and grew up with her Jewish family in Leipzig. She completed her Abitur and then obtained a diploma as a language teacher. From 1911 to 1916, she studied at the Royal Technical University in Berlin and graduated with a diploma. She then worked in various architectural offices and at the Dresden city planning office. At the same time, she began postgraduate studies at the THD in 1917, specialising in urban planning. In 1919 she gained her doctorate with her thesis on "River course and urban development".
Durch Marie Frommer umgebaute Filiale der Firma Leiser in Berlin. Reproduktion aus: Moderne Ladenbauten. Außen- und Innenarchitektur. 2., veränd. Aufl., Berlin 1929, S. 45 (SLUB/DDZ, Lizenz: Freier Zugang – Rechte vorbehalten)
This was followed by several years of professional practice in private offices in Germany and abroad. In 1925, she opened her own architectural practice with several employees in Berlin. The focus of her work was the remodelling of shops, commercial buildings and hotels, including their interior design. Her work was well received in the specialised press, which highlighted her designs for the Seidenhaus Leiser and the Villa Majestic, for example.
When the National Socialists came to power in 1933, Marie Frommer was expelled from the Association of German Architects. However, she was still able to complete projects for clients from abroad until 1936. In autumn 1936, she emigrated to England. Her brother and his family had already been living there for two years. She was unable to gain a professional foothold in England, partly due to the fact that she was not accepted into the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Admission to this institution was only granted to foreign architects if they were able to set up their own practice and also gain a British colleague as a partner. She therefore decided to emigrate to the USA in 1939.
Eine von Frommers ersten Arbeiten in Berlin: Die Gestaltung der Schaufensterfassade des Schuhhauses Leiser.
Hardly any biographical information can be found for her early years in the USA. She probably initially lived with the entrepreneur Marion J.E. Smith. The women knew each other through their membership of the Soroptimist International Club, an organisation for working women, of which Marie Frommer was a founding member. She was also a member of the Saturday's Children Club, founded in 1942, to which working women from eleven nations belonged. In this way, Marie From-mer was able to integrate as a professional woman and architect. In 1946, after passing an examination, she was authorised as a "licensed architect" in New York State, allowing her to work as an independent architect again and open an office in Manhattan.
In addition to hotels and offices, in 1948 she designed the Quaternian House, a complex of four houses for lower-income families based on the ideas of Stephen Leeman. She was also active internationally. She worked for years as a consultant for urban planning matters in Spain. In 1969, the New York Times mentioned her in an article, which recognises her prominence. Marie Frommer was not married and had no children. She died in New York in 1976.