Villa Genienau, Architectural heritage monument in Mehlem district, Bad Godesberg, Germany.
Villa Genienau is a standalone residential building situated at Im Frankenkeller street in Bad Godesberg, positioned roughly 70 meters from the Rhine. The structure displays the architectural style of an upscale residence from the early 1900s with characteristic features of that period.
Paul Grosser, a geologist, commissioned the villa; Cologne architect Heinrich Offergeld designed it and supervised the building work. A first permit was refused in December 1903 because the plot was still in a consolidation procedure; approval came in 1904, the shell was accepted on 14 February 1905 and the family moved in on 8 September 1905. After Paul and Eugenie Grosser died in 1911, the villa passed by auction to ironworks owner Rudolf Böcking by 1913.
The name likely refers to Eugenie Grosser, wife of the geologist Paul Grosser who commissioned the villa; the sources call this attribution probable rather than certain. The couple remained childless, and both died by suicide in autumn 1911, she first. The house later passed by auction to the ironworks owner Rudolf Böcking.
The building falls under heritage protection in North Rhine-Westphalia, ensuring its preservation and regular maintenance. Visitors should note that it is a protected object and cannot be freely accessed without arrangements.
From 1948 the villa housed Erich Dittmann's Westdeutsche Puppen- und Steingutfabrik, a doll manufacturer he had founded in Bonn that year. The occupiers requisitioned the building from 15 May to 8 October 1948, so only the ground floor could be used. In 1952 the rear double staircase was demolished and intermediate ceilings inserted to create factory rooms.
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