Melchior Berri (born 20 October 1801 in
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, died 12 May 1854 in Basel) was a well-known Swiss architect.
He was the son of Melchior Berri (parish priest in Münchenstein) and Appollonia Streckeisen. In 1832 he married Margaretha Simone Burckhardt of Basel.
Biography
Early life
Berri grew up as the son of a pastor in Basel and
Münchenstein
Münchenstein ( Swiss German: ''Minggestai'') is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland.
Historical records
Münchenstein is first mentioned in 1196 as ''Kekingen''. In 1270, it was ment ...
. Between 1817 and 1823, he studied with the famous architect
Friedrich Weinbrenner
Friedrich Weinbrenner (24 November 1766 – 1 March 1826) was a German architect and city planner admired for his mastery of classical style.
Birth and education
Weinbrenner was born in Karlsruhe, and began his career apprenticed to his father, ...
in
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
. Afterwards he worked with the architect
Jean-Nicolas Huyot
Jean-Nicholas Huyot (December 25, 1780, Paris – August 2, 1840, Paris) was a French architect, best known for his 1833 continuation of the Arc de Triomphe from the plans of Jean Chalgrin.
Biography
Son of a builder, Huyot attended the Écol ...
in Paris and studied at the
Parisian Academy.
In 1826, he travelled to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, where he took an interest, both in
Pompeii's buildings and
frescos, and in the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
palaces of Rome. In doing so, he developed the technical skills of a
stonemason, plasterer, and bricklayer. He also practised drawing landscapes and figures, and studied subjects of technical construction.
Career
In 1828, Melchior Berri opened a construction business and a school of construction and drawing in Basel. His impact outside of the Basel region is mostly due to the construction of the Basel Museum, his only remaining monumental building, but is also due to his designs for city halls in
Zurich and in
Bern, as well as his plans for housing development for
Luzern and Basel.
Berri was also a member of
Basel-Stadt's
Grand Council and its construction commission, and in 1841, he became president of the ''Verein Schweizerischer Ingenieure und Architekten'' (SIA; Association of Swiss Engineers and Architects). He obtained international fame as a neo-classical architect and became honorary doctor of two British architectural associations.
Between the stress he was under as both a builder and an artist, but possibly also due to the constraints of his provincial circumstances, Berri became depressed and took his own life in 1854.
Legacy
Buildings
*
Villa Ehinger, Münchenstein - 1829-32
* Altes Gemeindehaus in Riehen - 1834/35
*
Museum for Natural History and Ethnography, Basel - 1842-49
* Former Sarasin binding factory (Youth Hostel), Basel - 1850/51
* Several buildings in the botanical garden in Brügglingen, including the orangery, barn and tenant's house - 1837-39
Miscellaneous
*Tombs
*First multicolour stamp,
Basler Dybli - 1845
*Postboxes (Basler Dybli)
*Fountains (including the ''Dreizackbrunnen'', Basel - 1837)
Demolished buildings
*City Casino, Basel - 1821-1824; torn down 1949
*Blömlein Theatre, Basel - 1829; torn down 1969
*Railway Gate in the Basel City Wall - 1844; torn down 1880
External links
*
footnotes: Melchior Berri*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berri, Melchior
People from Basel-Stadt
Münchenstein
1801 births
1854 deaths
19th-century Swiss architects
Suicides in Switzerland