Wertheim Department Store

Alfred Messel

1897–1911

Postcard depicting exterior of building with many columns built into its walls. — Wikimedia Commons.

Photograph depicting tall statue in the center of large atrium with interior staircases. — The façade of the massive Warenhaus Wertheim had rows of narrow pillars extending from the ground floor to the roof and was a showpiece of early twentieth-century Berlin. The interior looked more like a palace or grand temple than a department store. Its lobby boasted a six-meter-high statue titled *Labor*, a grand staircase, and frescoes depicting ancient and modern harbors. The department store later became home to Berlin’s pioneering dance club, Tresor. The building was destroyed by bombing in World War II.

The Warenhaus Wertheim was owned by the Jewish Wertheim family, whose chain of department stores enjoyed significant financial success until the Nazis cut off their revenue. The façade of the massive flagship store had rows of narrow pillars extending from the ground floor to the roof and was a showpiece of early twentieth-century Berlin. The interior looked more like a palace or grand temple than a department store. Its lobby boasted a six-meter-high statue titled Labor by sculptor Ludwig Manzel, a grand staircase, and frescoes depicting ancient and modern harbors. Due to its popularity, it it was expanded continuously between its opening in 1896 and 1911. The department store later became home to Berlin’s pioneering dance club, Tresor. The building was destroyed by bombing in World War II.