History

History of the Hotel Ehinger Hof

The history of the Ehinger Hof, built in 1877 by the architect Max Buck.

Max Buck moved to a stricter street development in 1877 at Lindenstrasse No. 72. In the design of the house for lawyer Paul Rapp, he takes up the calm basic form of his parents’ house, but achieves a new effect through different proportions.

The longitudinal rectangular building faces the street on the eaves side. Two flat side risalites with coupled windows restrain the view. The building, however, is not broad in depth, but carries only three window axes on the gable walls, without a surrounding eaves cornice. Above a bossed plinth, the first floor is decorated with bandrustica, its round-arched windows bear rusticated frames. The horizontal bearing is emphasized by simple story and window sill cornices. Pilaster strips, bossing on the lower floor, accentuate the edges of the structure.

The windows on the upper floor are plainly framed and support simple cornice roofs. Again, a classicist basic attitude is noticeable. Originally, sculptures were proposed on the eaves cornice in extension of the Liseren. This decoration, probably too conspicuous, was transformed into a quality grisaille ornament with grotesque figures, festoons and mascaron representations, which adorns the knees of the building facing the street. Here, oculifoil windows take up the window axes of the facade.

Such facade painting was not common in the Swabian region, in contrast to the Bavarian foothills of the Alps. It was probably cheaper than plastic jewelry in any case. The house is notable for its round-arched windows, which are unusual in Ehingen, and the equally unusual grisaille frieze.