Hugo Kafka, AIA, (May, 1843–April 1915)Obituaries
'NY Times.'' April 30, 1915. was a Czech-American architect and founding associate of the predecessor firm of Alfred B. Mullett & Sons, as well as William Schickel & Company; he ran his own firm, Hugo Kafka in the early twentieth century, later renamed Hugo Kafka & Sons.

Life

Kafka was born in 1843 in the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

. He graduated from the Polytechnikum in

Zurich, Switzerland Zurich (; ) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The urban area was home to 1.45 ...

studying under

Gottfried Semper Gottfried Semper (; 29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in ...

. He came to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in 1874 to work with Hermann Schwartzmann, architect-in-chief for the buildings of the Centennial Exposition, and practiced in New York City from 1877 to 1903." He became a Fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

in 1876 and a founding associate of the predecessor firm of Alfred B. Mullett & Sons, with Alfred B. Mullett and

William G. Steinmetz Brigadier General William George Steinmetz AIA ( – 27 April 1898) was a German-American architect who practiced in New York City as a founding associate of A.B. Mullet & Company with Alfred Bult Mullett (–1890) and Hugo Kafka (1843–1913) b ...

in 1882. In 1885 along with

J. William Schickel J. William Schickel, FAIA, (1850–1907) known professionally as William Schickel, was a German-American architect and founder of the New York architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars. Life and practice Schickel was born January 29, 1850, in Wie ...

(1850–1907) and Isaac E. Ditmars (1850–1934), he was a founding associate of William Schickel & Company, which later became

Schickel & Ditmars Schickel & Ditmars was an architectural firm in New York City, active during the city's Gilded Age from 1885 until the early 1900s. It was responsible for designing many fine churches, residences and commercial buildings. History J. William Sc ...

. He died April 28, 1913, in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...

. Working for himself in the twentieth century, his firm's address was at 99 Nassau Street; the firm's name was Hugo Kafka, and Hugo Kafka & Sons after 1905 at 34 W 26th Street.
, Office for Metropolitan History, "Manhattan NB Database 1900-1986," 5 Feb 2010 One of his finest house designs is the Leonard and Annie Wiederer House (1887–1888), 387 St. Paul's Avenue (formerly Mud Lane),

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, a three-story Queen Anne-style mansion of 24-room, including eight bedrooms, two kitchens and six fireplaces, each of a different design. It was built by the German-born beer baron named George Bechtel as a bridal gift to his daughter Annie on her marriage to Leonard Wiederer. He died April 28, 1915, aged 70, at his home at 49 Washington Avenue,

Works

*Leonard and Annie Wiederer House (1887–1888), 387 St. Paul's Avenue, Staten Island *153-155 West 43rd Street (1903), a 12-story brick and stone hotel, built for the estate of Ogden Goelet for $210,000 *West 176th Street, west of Amsterdam Avenue (1905), four five-story brick and stone tenements built for Winslow Realty Co. for $160,000. *Mill *"The Summersby" (1894), 342-344 West 56th Street, 7-story brick and limestone flats

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kafka, Hugo 1843 births 1915 deaths Artists from New Rochelle, New York American people of Czech descent Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States 19th-century American architects Defunct architecture firms based in New York City