Graham Abbott begins by exploring an incredibly dynamic moment in history: Vienna, at the start of the twentieth-century. The revolutionary spirit of reform of the late 1800’s lead to great feats of urban planning, modern engineering and architecture.

Here we are introduced to Karl Lueger, Vienna’s Mayor from 1893 to 1910. Lueger’s tenure as Mayor incorporated many successes including the appointment of talents, such as Otto Wagner, to design innovative new buildings for the new metropolis.

The Postal Savings Bank of 1903 was the ultimate manifestation of Otto Wagner’s functional and aesthetic principles and one of Vienna’s most significant examples of early modern architecture.