Schocken Department Store, Stuttgart

Stuttgart-Mitte, Germany

No longer standing

Demolished or destroyed.

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Built in Stuttgart-Mitte between 1924 and 1926, the Schocken Department Store was a landmark of the Modernist New Objectivity movement, designed by Erich Mendelsohn for the rapidly expanding Schocken retail chain. The building's strikingly modern aesthetic—characterized by sweeping horizontal lines punctuated by a vertical semicircular all-glass projection—introduced design elements that would later be refined internationally as Streamline Moderne in the 1930s. Mendelsohn drew inspiration for the design from a Bach concert he attended. The interiors featured predominantly wooden furnishings and extensive windows, necessary compensations for the absence of air conditioning; the food hall was positioned in the basement for the same reason. The façade bore illuminated lettering 2.28 meters high, which Mendelsohn also developed into a coordinated logo and branding style. Standing across the street from the contemporaneous Tagblatt-Turm, the store formed an impressive modern architectural ensemble and survived World War II with only minor damage. Despite international protests, local authorities approved its demolition in 1960, and it was replaced by a department store designed by Egon Eiermann.