Fine Patina

Refreshed to its original glory and adapted as a contemporary jewelry boutique, Vienna's trailblazing Looshaus building gleams anew

- ULRICH CLEWING

In 1911, an icon of early modernism arrived on Michaelerplatz, opposite Vienna’s historic Hofburg Palace. Designed by Adolf Loos for haberdashers Goldman & Salatsch, the building was provocative for the time—its rigorous simplicity breaking from prevailing styles in accordance with the architect’s rejection of ornament. To locals, including lucky shoppers who could watch their suits be made, the edifice became known as the “House Without Eyebrows,” owing to windows devoid of classical flourishes. Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria allegedly disliked it so much he kept the curtains of his windows facing it closed.