Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
August 2023
Postcard featuring the Chrysler Building, 1930s
Historical Context
The Skyscraper Appreciation Day, a day to celebrate skyscrapers, occurs annually in the USA on August 10th. This day honors the technically and architecturally impressive buildings that must, by definition, rise at least 150 meters towards the sky. The date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of American architect William van Alen, who was born in Brooklyn in 1883 and was responsible for the design and construction of one of New York’s most famous buildings: the Chrysler Building, built between 1928 and 1930. At its opening, the Chrysler Building stood as the tallest building in the world at 319 meters.
Today, the three tallest buildings in the world are no longer in the USA but are located in Dubai (Burj Khalifa, 828 meters), Kuala Lumpur (PNB 118, 678 meters), and Shanghai (Shanghai Tower, 632 meters).
Short Biography
Lucie Pollem, known as Lulu, is born in Bremen in 1902. In December 1928, she marries her long-time fiancé Heinrich Hermesdorf. Just a few weeks later, her newlywed husband decides to emigrate to the USA, like his brother Fred. Lucie eventually follows him in the summer of 1930. Although her emigration coincides with the Great Depression, the major economic crisis, the young seamstress is fortunate and quickly finds a job.
In 1954, the now widowed Lucie decides to return to Germany. With her second husband Max Bartelt, whom she meets on her return journey to Germany, Lucie moves into her parents’ house in Bremen-Rönnebeck. A second widowhood follows, and she passes away here in 1990 without children.
Significance of the Object
Many days and weeks, people spend on board emigrant ships in tense anticipation of arriving in their future homeland. For those heading to New York as a destination from the late 19th century onwards, the entry into the harbor is both overwhelming and intimidating: Not only does the Statue of Liberty welcome the newcomers, but also the impressive skyline of New York. Skyscrapers captivate the gaze of the arrivals, and from 1908, they will also include high-rises.
While the Flatiron Building stands at around 90 meters in 1902, the Singer Building, completed in 1908, reaches 187 meters in height. In Germany, at this time, tall buildings barely exceed the 40-meter mark, and skyscrapers will first appear in the 1970s.
The giants made of steel, stone, and glass, belonging to their builders and owners, including well-known companies founded by German immigrants such as the Singer sewing machine factory and the Steinway & Son piano factory, are symbols of economic power and the drive for growth. For the newcomers aboard the just-arriving emigrant ships, the towering buildings visually indicate that a ‘New World’ awaits them.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de