Landauer, Friedrich Joseph 1883 - 1968

Friedrich Joseph Landauer [commonly known as Fritz Landauer] was born into a Jewish family in Augsburg, Germany on 13 June 1883 and studied architecture under Friedrich von Thiersch and Carl Hocheder at the Technische Hochschule in Munich from 1902 to 1904, and then at the Technische Hochschule in Karlsruhe in 1904-05. He qualified as an architect in 1907 and commenced independent practice in Munich in 1909.  He was elected to the Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA) and was a member of the Vereinigung Münchner Privatarchitekten.  

From 1909 to 1934 worked as a freelance architect. He specialised in synagogue architecture, notably designing synagogues for Augsburg (with Heinrich Lopel, 1912-17) and Plauen (1928-30). During the years after World War One he designed war memorial and cemeteries. He also designed commercial and public building, apartment blocks and private house, mainly in Augsburg and Munich.  Landauer was influenced by the International Style and was one of the few Modernist architects working in south Germany at this time. Two of his most significant commissions from the early 1930s were the the Villa Strauss in Augsburg (1930), and the Villa Hirschmann in Fürth (1930–31).

When the National Socialists came to power in 1933 Landauer decided to emigrate. Over the next four years he travelled between Germany and England. He designed two synagogues in London during this period - the North Western Reform Synagogue (with Wills & Kaula, 1935-36), and Willesden United Synagogue (1936–37).  In 1936 he received permission by the UK authorities to stay permanently in Britain and in 1937 settled in London with his wife.  Unfortunately, he received few architectural commissions following his move to Britain. He died in London on 17 November 1968.  His son, Walter Landaur, later Landor (1913–1995) moved to England in 1931. He subsequently became a major name in the field of advertising design in Britain and the USA.