1962 | Hermann Fehling, Daniel Gogel, and Peter Pfankuch
Hauptstraße 46-48, 10827 Berlin
Starting in 1958, architects Hermann Fehling, Daniel Gogel, and Peter Pfankuch designed a building composed of irregularly stacked steel and exposed concrete elements, featuring rough plastered wall surfaces. Dedicated in 1962, the structure resembles a rock formation, creating a cave-like space where the community can gather protectively. The strategic placement of minimal wall openings sculpts the light within, elevating the atmosphere beyond the everyday.
Today, this chapel sees more activity than the main church building, hosting many community events. The main sanctuary of the new Paul-Gerhardt Church is rarely used for events now, reflecting a decline in congregation size from about 20,000 members in the 1960s to just 4,000 today, with only about 30 attendees at Sunday services. The building remains mostly closed, with plans for the church district's superintendent's office to move there by 2014, potentially revitalizing the 1960s structure with new administrative functions and possibly reconfiguring part of the church space for different uses
Urbanistically, this building is a key part of the "Church Island" area, which includes the village church and St. Norbert Church, marking the historical core of Schöneberg. It stands on the site of two war-damaged predecessors, addressing the community's explosive growth in the early 20th century. Notably, parts of the former St. Norbert Church, also redesigned by Fehling, Gogel, and Pfankuch after WWII damage, are visible today on Dominicusstraße. The old Paul-Gerhardt Church, once a dominant structure mockingly called the "Thermos Flask" or "Lighthouse," was almost entirely cleared post-war, with only its apse repurposed as a chapel in the new building
Sources: https://www.berlin.de/ba-tempelhof-schoeneberg/politik-und-verwaltung/aemter/stadtentwicklungsamt/denkmalschutz/denkmale/evangelische-paul-gerhardt-kirche-334321.php
Photos: Eric Bauermeister
