Paula Villa, Purkersdorf

Paula-Villa Purkersdorf

A pupil of Otto Wagner and a Secessionist like Josef Hoffmann, Leopold Bauer was also considered an advocate of modernism in his early work. He later developed a conservatism that was theoretically underpinned and which can also be seen in the “Heimat” style of the Paula Villa with its massive round risalits and floral Art Nouveau décor on the façade. By turning away from modern functionalism, Bauer distances himself critically from the purism of the Hoffmann Sanatorium. Leopold Bauer received the commission for the villa on the sanatorium grounds after the client Viktor Zuckerkandl and his architect Josef Hoffmann split over exploding costs. The fact that Leopold Bauer added a mansard roof to Hoffmann’s iconic sanatorium in 1926, blatantly distorting the original design, further intensified the discord between the two architects. The Paula Villa was refurbished true to the original and adapted as a modern residential building.