Adolf Cluss

Born: 1825 | Died: 1905

Architect

Adolf Cluss was born in Heilbronn in southwestern Germany. In his late teens and early twenties, he traveled widely and joined the Communist League. He became good friends with Karl Marx and served as secretary of the Communist League in the city of Mainz, and represented workers as a propagandist and leader in the Revolution of 1848.

After the failure of the German revolutionary movement, Cluss left Germany for America and settled in Washington D.C. Between 1860 and 1890 until his retirement, Cluss dominated Washington's architectural scene and designed many public buildings, including eleven schools, markets, government buildings, museums and residences.

Two of his schools built in signature red brick still stand today in downtown Washington, the Franklin School and the Summer School. The Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall is the most famous building designed by Cluss. He also built a few residential mansions and was hired to create Washington D.C.’s first apartment building, Portland Flats, which was torn down in 1962.

The use of red brick on most structures that he built and his communist sympathies and friendship with Karl Marx earned him the nickname “The Red” or “Red Architect.”

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