During the Nazi era, Thomas Mann and his family found exile in the hills of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, California. They built a villa there, which was hidden in the middle of former lemon groves and offered a breathtaking view of the Pacific. Thomas Mann lived and worked here from 1941 to 1952. After returning to Germany, he sold the property to an American family, who owned it until 2016.

In 2016, the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Foreign Office, decided to acquire the property in order to preserve one of the most important literary sites for Germany. The aim was to treat the predominantly original building fabric with respect and at the same time meet the users’ requirements for state-of-the-art, versatile and multifunctional facilities. The compromise had to be planned in accordance with local laws, construction techniques and German quality standards and implemented in an international collaboration .

After an intensive and lengthy coordination process, special steel windows with a special putty-bed look profile were selected. Due to the unique location of the building, both the profiles and the fittings were given special coatings. The installation was carried out on site by our own experienced specialists. The building was officially inaugurated on June 18, 2018, and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave the opening speech.