The Gustav Siegle House - today called the Philharmonie Gustav Siegle House - on Leonhardsplatz in Stuttgart-Mitte goes back to the industrialist Gustav Siegle (1840–1905) (G. Siegle & Co.). The building, built between 1910 and 1912 according to plans by Theodor Fischer, still serves as a venue for music, art and education today.
After Gustav Siegle died in 1905, his widow Julie, together with her daughters and sons-in-law, founded a foundation named after him in 1907, which was ultimately endowed with 700,000 gold marks. The Gustav Siegle Foundation aimed to provide public education without distinguishing between religious and political tendencies. In order to provide the foundation with the necessary space, the Gustav Siegle House was built in the romantic style by Theodor Fischer from 1910 onwards. When the excavation pit was excavated, it turned out that the area was a former cemetery (Leonardsfriedhof until 1805). The ceremonial inauguration of the representative building at Leonhardsplatz 28 between Bohnenviertel and Leonhardskirche was on October 6, 1912.
Between 1930 and 1980, the Leonardsbad existed opposite the Gustav-Siegle-Haus, designed as a counterpart to the Heslach indoor swimming pool.
The Württemberg Interior Minister Johann von Pischek, head of the foundation and friend of Gustav Siegle, explained in his inauguration speech that the Gustav Siegle House should “make it easier and open up access to solid education of the mind and heart for members of the widest circles of the people, and thus giving their lives increased value and increased joy”.
During the Second World War, the Gustav Siegle House was destroyed in heavy air raids in 1944. The Gustav Siegle Foundation was dissolved in 1949 and the remaining assets following inflation and currency reform were transferred to the city of Stuttgart. The building was rebuilt in 1953/1954 by architect Martin Elsaesser, a student of Fischer, with Elsaesser largely following the original plans
Source: Wikipedia