The Swiss National Bank in Zurich: The Pfister Building 1922-2022

The Zurich-based Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank moved into its own grand office building in 1922, a prime example of neo-classicism in Switzerland. This book celebrates the building's centenary and describes the architecture and building history from planning stage to today. It is supplemented by essays on bank architecture since the Middle Ages, the urban formation of Zurich, and the city's development into a financial center in the late 19th century. The volume pays tribute to a piece of public architecture that combines monumentality with pragmatism and republican modesty.

Format: Hardback
Length: 412 pages
Publication date: 16 January 2023
Publisher: Scheidegger und Spiess AG, Verlag

A decade after the Swiss National Bank unveiled its neo-baroque masterpiece in Berne, the bank's Zurich-based Governing Board relocated to its own grand office building in 1922. This remarkable achievement by the local firm of Otto and Werner Pfister stands as a prime exemplar of neo-classicism in Switzerland, and it bestowed upon Zurich a magnificent architectural landmark at the pinnacle of its renowned Bahnhofstrasse. As the bank celebrates its centenary, this book pays homage to the Zurich residence of the Swiss Franc. It provides a comprehensive and lavishly illustrated account of the architecture and building history, from the initial planning stages to the present day. This is complemented by essays on bank architecture since the Middle Ages, the urban development of Zurich, and the city's transformation into a financial hub in the late 19th century. In his contribution, renowned Canadian-British architect Adam Caruso compares the building from a contemporary perspective to other central bank structures and contextualizes it within the broader body of the Pfister brothers' public commissions, many of which occupy prominent positions in Zurich's cityscape.

Richly adorned with historical and new photographs, original plans, and other historical documents, the volume pays tribute to a piece of public architecture that seamlessly blends monumentality with practicality and republican modesty.

Dimension: 280 x 200 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783039420957