Wikipedia

Siegmund Spiegel

Siegmund "Sig" Spiegel (November 13, 1919 – July 14, 2016) was a Jewish architect, war hero, author, activist, and Holocaust lecturer. A German-American, he fled Nazi Germany to the United States in 1938, following his sister. As an architect he was best known for his extensive work in the New York Metropolitan area.

Siegmund Spiegel
BornNovember 13, 1919
Gera, Germany
DiedJuly 14, 2016(2016-07-14) (aged 96)
Florida, United States
Burial placeArlington National Cemetery
NationalityGerman-American
EducationCity College of New York
Columbia University
Hofstra University (honorary degree)
OccupationArchitect
Years active20th century
Known forArchitecture, authoring, lecturing, activism
Notable workSyosset Hospital
SpouseRuth (m. April 13, 1945)
Children2
AwardsPurple Heart
Bronze Star Medal
Croix de-Guerre-Avec Palme
Legion of Honour
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (Hofstra University)

Biography and career

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A Stolperstein in Gera, Germany, marking where Spiegel lived.

Siegmund Spiegel was born to Jacob and Sara Spiegel, who were German Jews, in Gera, Germany, on November 13, 1919.[1][2] He was one of three children – all of whom escaped Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. When he was 14, he was expelled from school for being Jewish[3] – and soon thereafter, his parents lost their business and jobs.[3] In 1938, Spiegel followed his sister to the United States, settling in New York.[3] His brother fled to Palestine, but his parents chose to stay in Germany, and ultimately were murdered in the Holocaust.[3]

In 1941, during World War II, he volunteered to be drafted into the United States Army. He served in the 1st Infantry Division, serving in France, North Africa, and Sicily, eventually earning the ranks of Master Sergeant.[4] He would receive a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his heroism during the war – in addition to the Croix de-Guerre-Avec Palme and the Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor.[2]

In the early 1960s, Spiegel designed Syosset Hospital in Syosset, New York; the hospital opened in 1962.[5][6][7] He also designed an architecturally-significant, drum-shaped bank building in Albertson, New York, shortly thereafter.[8] In the 1980s, Spiegel designed the relocated facilities for the Village of Freeport, New York's public works department.[9]

Spiegel also designed a significant number of apartment complexes – and he would eventually begin specializing in designing them.[10] Among the several complexes he designed were the Flower Hill Garden Apartments (in Flower Hill, New York), Bay Shore Gardens (in Bay Shore, New York), the Cameo House (in Hempstead, New York), and the Chalet Apartments (in Roslyn, New York).[10][11][12][13] He also advocated for converting surplus school buildings into housing for middle class senior citizens.[14] His private architectural practice was located in East Meadow, New York.[15]

Spiegel was also a prolific Jewish activist and lecturer on the Holocaust, having lost both his parents in it; he was separated from them when the Nazis deported his mother and father to Poland from Germany around the time of Kristallnacht.[1][2] He frequently wrote editorials and opinion pieces on architecture and Jewish activism in magazines and newspapers. Spiegel was also the co-founder of the Black-Jewish Coalition of Long Island and of the Nassau County Holocaust Commission, was President of the Long Island Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League, and was the architect of Nassau County's Holocaust Memorial and Education Center at Eisenhower Park.[2][16][17][18]

In 2012, Spiegel published an autobiography, titled D-Day Plus Seventy Years: A Wartime Odyssey.[2][19]

Spiegel died in Florida on July 14, 2016, aged 96. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia.[2][20]

Personal life

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Siegmund Spiegel was married to his wife, Ruth – another German-born Jew who escaped Germany during the Holocaust; they met in New York City and wed on April 13, 1945.[2][3] They had two daughters and lived for many years in East Meadow, New York, before retiring and relocating to Bal Harbour, Florida.[1][3] For his activism and teachings on the Holocaust, Spiegel earned the New York State Board of Regents' Yavner Award in 1992, and was given an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Hofstra University in 1993.[2][21]

Notable works

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Architectural

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Literature

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  • D-Day Plus Seventy Years: A Wartime Odyssey (autobiography, 2012)[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Chicurel, Judy (1991-03-03). "Families Start Tracing Holocaust Survivors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Siegmund Spiegel Obituary (1919 - 2016) - Aventura, FL - Newsday". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Holocaust Survivors Celebrate 70 Years Of Marriage". CBS Miami. 2015-04-13. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  4. ^ "The German and Austrian Jews of the Allied Armies". Warfare History Network. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  5. ^ a b Times, Special to The New York (1962-06-18). "Syosset Hospital Dedicated". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  6. ^ a b "Syosset Hospital to Open in Spring". Newsday. March 1, 1962. p. 33 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ a b Times, Special to The New York (1962-02-26). "Modern Hospital at Syosset Is Nearing Completion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  8. ^ "A Round Bank Makes Its Debut on Long Island". The New York Times. March 24, 1968. pp. R1 – via ProQuest.
  9. ^ "POSTINGS; A NOVEL RECYCLING". The New York Times. 1983-05-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  10. ^ a b "Modern Architecture Wins Approval in L.I. Apartments; 2 Projects Display Contemporary Styling Butterfly Roof Patios Available New Address Plate Made Suites Ready in Jamaica". The New York Times. 1962-09-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  11. ^ "Flower Hill Apartments | Profiles | Roslyn Landmark Society". Roslyn Landmark Society. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  12. ^ Robbins, William (1967-03-05). "Historic Roslyn Guides Apartment Builder; A Colonial-Style Project Rises In Village That Guards Heritage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  13. ^ "Facade of Hempstead Apartment House Has Metal Decorative Grilles; A GRILLE FACADE ADORNS L.I. HOUSE". The New York Times. 1960-07-24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  14. ^ "Letters to the Editor". The New York Times. 1975-10-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  15. ^ "Architect Siegmund Spiegel | Queens Public Library Digital". digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  16. ^ Fan, Maureen; Lander, Estelle (April 15, 1991). "Recalling 'Real People' of Holocaust". Newsday. p. 23 – via ProQuest.
  17. ^ Spiegel, Siegmun; Seltzer, Arthur (February 20, 1984). "Avoid the Use of Stereotypes". Newsday. p. 41 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ Topping, Robin (October 6, 1989). "Holocaust Memorial Building To Start in '91". Newsday. p. 29.
  19. ^ a b Spiegel, Siegmund (2012-09-28). D-Day Plus Seventy Years: A Wartime Odyssey. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4797-1383-7.
  20. ^ "Siegmund Spiegel - AIA Historical Directory of American Architects - Confluence". aiahistoricaldirectory.atlassian.net. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  21. ^ Winslow, Olivia (December 20, 1993). "Dinkins Addresses Hofstra Grads". Newsday. p. 18 – via ProQuest.
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