Mosse Publishing Building (1903/1923/2000)

Stately Heart of the Newspaper Metropolis – It is hard to imagine just how omnipresent newsprint was after 1900. Hundreds of different newspapers and magazines were sold at newsstands and read in cafés, on park benches, and on public transportation. Jewish publisher Rudolf Mosse (1843-1920) was alone responsible for 130 print products. He also published the legendary liberal Berliner Tageblatt, Berlin’s first daily newspaper. Along with Ullstein and Scherl, Mosse is considered one of the founders of Berlin’s newspaper district. All that remains of it today is this one building. It was damaged during the Spartacist Uprising (1919) and in WWII. In 1923 it was modernized and raised three stories higher by architect Erich Mendelsohn. The elegant iron-and-ceramic façade embodies the dynamism of the modern age. In the East German era, the building received a sober restoration and housed the Druckkombinat Berlin, one of the largest printers in East Berlin. After the fall of the Wall, portions of the historic façade were reconstructed. The Mosse Center became an office building in 2000.