Alfred Frederik Elias Grenander (26 June 1863 – 14 March 1931) was a Swedish architect, who became one of the most prominent engineers during the first building period of the
Berlin U-Bahn
The Berlin U-Bahn (; short for , "underground railway") is a rapid transit system in Berlin, the capital and largest city of Germany, and a major part of the city's public transport system. Together with the Berlin S-Bahn, S-Bahn, a network of ...
network in the early twentieth century.
Biography
Grenander was born at
Skövde
Skövde () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland, Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central southern Sweden.
Skövde is situated around 150 k ...
in
Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County () is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden.
The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1,616,000 amounts to 17% of S ...
, Sweden. He was raised in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
and began studying at the Swedish
Royal Institute of Technology
KTH Royal Institute of Technology (), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest technical university. Since 2018, KTH consist ...
in 1881. He changed to the ''Königliche Technische Hochschule'' in Charlottenburg (now
Technische Universität Berlin
(TU Berlin; also known as Berlin Institute of Technology and Technical University of Berlin, although officially the name should not be translated) is a public university, public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was the first ...
) in 1885. After his final degree in 1890 he became a site engineer at the construction of the new
Reichstag building
The Reichstag (; ) is a historic legislative government building on Platz der Republik in Berlin that is the seat of the German Bundestag. It is also the meeting place of the Federal Convention, which elects the President of Germany.
The Ne ...
under the direction of
Paul Wallot
Johann Paul Wallot (26 June 1841 Oppenheim am Rhein – 10 August 1912 Bad Schwalbach) was a German architect of Huguenot descent, best known for designing the Reichstag building in Berlin, erected between 1884 and 1894. He also built the adjacen ...
and continued his career in the architectural office of
Alfred Messel
Alfred Messel (22 July 1853 – 24 March 1909) was a German architect at the turning point to the 20th century, creating a new style for buildings which bridged the transition from historicism to modernism. Messel was able to combine the structure ...
.
In 1896 Grenander set up his own business and worked as a designer of the ''Hochbahngesellschaft'', an affiliate of
Siemens & Halske
Siemens & Halske AG (or Siemens-Halske) was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens.
It was founded on 12 October 1847 as ''Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske'' by Werner von Siemens and Johann Geor ...
established in 1897 to build the first U-Bahn elevated railway of Berlin, opened in 1902. Up to 1931, he constructed about 70 U-Bahn stations, many of which have landmark status today. While the first stations were designed in an
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
(''Jugendstil'') or Neoclassical style, he later preferred a
Modern architecture
Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...
.
Alfred Grenander died in Berlin; he was buried in Skanör med Falsterbo, Sweden. In 2009, the public area in front of
Krumme Lanke
is a lake in the south west of Berlin, in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough of the city and on the edge of the Grunewald forest. After Nikolassee and the neighbouring Schlachtensee, it is the southernmost of the Grunewald chain of lakes.
Overv ...
station in Berlin- Zehlendorf was named in his honour.
Berlin U-Bahn Stations designed by Grenander
* 1902:
Ernst-Reuter-Platz
Ernst-Reuter-Platz is a town square in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany. It is named after Ernst Reuter, mayor of West Berlin from 1948–1953.
It is located at the end of Straße des 17. Juni, where it continues as Bismarckstraße, and Kaiserdamm ...
(''Knie'')
* 1906:
Deutsche Oper
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet.
Since 2004, the ...
(''Bismarckstraße''),
Wilhelmplatz
Wilhelmplatz was a square in the Mitte district of Berlin, at the corner of Wilhelmstrasse and Voßstraße. The square also gave its name to a Berlin U-Bahn station which has since been renamed Mohrenstraße (Berlin U-Bahn), Mohrenstraße. A numb ...
– demolished
* 1907:
Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz (, ''Potsdam Square'') is a public square and traffic intersection in the center of Berlin, Germany, lying about south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building, Reichstag (Bundestag, German Parliament Building), and ...
Theodor-Heuss-Platz
Theodor-Heuss-Platz (; colloquially called Theo by locals, ) is a large city square in the Westend district of Berlin, Germany. It is named after Theodor Heuss (1884–1963), the first President of Germany after World War II.
Location
The ...
(''Reichskanzlerplatz'');
Mohrenstraße
Mohrenstraße, or Mohrenstrasse (see ß), is a street in central Berlin. It runs from west to east between Wilhelmstrasse, Wilhelmstraße and , and partially forming the southern edge of Gendarmenmarkt. The Berlin U-Bahn station Mohrenstraß ...
Wittenbergplatz
Wittenbergplatz is a square in the central Schöneberg district of Berlin, Germany. One of the main plazas in the " City West" area, it is known for the large '' Kaufhaus des Westens'' (KaDeWe) department store on its southwestern side.
It was l ...
Alexanderplatz
(, ''Alexander Square'') is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin. The square is named after the Russian Tsar Alexander I, which also denotes the larger neighbourhood stretching from in the north-ea ...
– U2;
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, formerly the Bülowplatz, is a square in Berlin-Mitte, Germany.
History
The square is dominated by the Volksbühne (the "People's Theatre", built 1913-14) and by the Karl-Liebknecht-Haus, the headquarters of the Germa ...
Mehringdamm
The Mehringdamm is a street in southern Kreuzberg, Berlin. In the north it starts at Mehringbrücke and ends - with its southernmost houses already belonging to Tempelhof locality - on Platz der Luftbrücke. It is the historical southbound Berl ...
Krumme Lanke
is a lake in the south west of Berlin, in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough of the city and on the edge of the Grunewald forest. After Nikolassee and the neighbouring Schlachtensee, it is the southernmost of the Grunewald chain of lakes.
Overv ...
;
Tempelhof
Tempelhof () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. It is the location of the former Tempelhof Airport, one of the earliest commercial airports in the world. The former airport and surroundings are now a park call ...
Alexanderplatz
(, ''Alexander Square'') is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin. The square is named after the Russian Tsar Alexander I, which also denotes the larger neighbourhood stretching from in the north-ea ...
Strausberger Platz
The Strausberger Platz is a large urban square in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and marks the border to the district of Mitte. It is connected via Karl-Marx-Allee with Alexanderplatz
(, ''Alexander Square'') is a large ...
Frankfurter Tor
The Frankfurter Tor ("Frankfurt Gate") is a large square in the inner-city Friedrichshain locality of Berlin. It is situated in the centre of the district, at the intersection of Karl-Marx-Allee and Frankfurter Allee (the eastbound federal ...
Lichtenberg Lichtenberg may refer to:
Places
* Lichtenberg, Austria
* Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin, France
* Lichtenberg, Bavaria, Germany
* Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany
* Lichtenberg, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany
* Lichtenberg (Lausitz), Saxony, Germany
* Lichte ...
,
Friedrichsfelde
Friedrichsfelde () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin.
History
The locality was first mentioned in a document of 1265 with the name of ''Rosenfelde''. In 1699 it was renamed Friedrichsfelde ...