Historic Villa Metzler GmbH is a prestigious establishment nestled within the heart of Frankfurt. With its rich history and exquisite charm, Historic Villa Metzler GmbH stands as a beacon of sophistication in the heart of Frankfurt. Today used an events venue.
The present-day Historic Villa Metzler was built in 1804 for the apothecary Peter Salzwedel as a summer house located on the outskirts of the town. On a square ground plan, a structure rises up three storeys, exhibiting five window axes on each side and a classical sense of balance. The pyramid-shaped mansard roof lent the house the character of the classical French style developed in the Directoire and early imperial periods on the Seine and Oise.
Less than fifty years later, the banker Georg Friedrich Metzler purchased the villa, which he expanded and altered. In 1928 a home for the elderly took possession the facility, using it primarily for bedrooms. In the early 1960s, the city of Frankfurt acquired the building. Finally, in 1967, the Museum für Kunsthandwerk, founded with support from the Adolf and Luisa Haeuser Foundation, moved in. The present-day Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt has its origins in this institution.
When it came time to expand the museum’s facilities, the villa served the American architect Richard Meier as a module in the design of the overall concept for the new construction. The latter, completed in 1987, is thus a modern response to the existing structure, in which Meier transformed the ground plan and residential character into an independent museum architecture.
The villa’s funding has a multifaceted foundation. For not only the city of Frankfurt, but also the “Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft Historische Villa” founded by the Kunstgewerbeverein (society of friends of the museum) contributed to this funding, the latter in a very special way. As a result, the villa will not only serve in Frankfurt’s future as a setting for cultivated gatherings, but also bear witness to a generous sense of civic pride.
The Historic Villa Metzler has been shining in new splendour since 2009. Nine style rooms allow visitors to experience historical domestic culture from the Baroque to Art Nouveau with all their senses. With the aid of paintings and old photographs, furniture, porcelain, carpets and accessories were selected from among the museum’s rich holdings to create various domestic ensembles that convey impressions of the one-time interior design tastes of the aristocracy and wealthy bourgeoisie.
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