The Residents

The Beer Family
In 1929, Julius Beer, co-owner of the Berson rubber factory, and his wife Margarethe commissioned Josef Frank and Oskar Wlach to design a house that would also be suitable for entertaining guests, especially for musical soirées. Frank and Wlach designed a house according to their ideal specifications, with a Bösendorfer grand piano taking pride of place in its “heart.”

Unfortunately, financial difficulties forced the Beers to sell the house and land to the financing insurance company in 1932. However, they retained the right to rent out the house themselves until 1937 in order to service their repayments. The tenants during these years were well-known figures who certainly appreciated the musical possibilities of the house. Richard Tauber, Jan Kiepura, and Martha Eggert, as well as their secretary Marcel Prawy, lived in the house until they were expelled in 1938.

Most of the family managed to flee to the USA, but their daughter Elisabeth Beer, who had a slight walking disability due to polio, was denied a visa due to strict US immigration policies. She was deported from Vienna to Minsk in May 1942 and murdered in Maly Trostinez.

Helene, the eldest daughter managed to flee to Scotland with her husband Rudolf Sternschein in 1938.

The Pöschmann Family
In 1941, the Pöschmann family from South Bohemia purchased Villa Beer together with its original furnishings, which were returned to the house. After the war, they rented the property to the British Army until 1954. This ensured that the house and its furnishings were preserved in the best possible condition during the post-war years. Over the years, the house was divided into different units, accommodating up to five apartments. Nevertheless, this had little effect on the substance and structure.

Villa Beer remained in the possession of the Pöschmann family and their descendants until 2008.

Dr. Strohmayr Private Foundation
In 2008, the Dr. Strohmayer Private Foundation first acquired parts of the house and then the entire property with the intention of using it as a residence, although this never came to pass. Unfortunately, a large part of the furniture was given away during these years. Most of the furniture remained with the Pöschmanns' descendants.

Until 2021, Villa Beer stood more or less empty. During the years it stood vacant, Dr. Strohmayer repeatedly opened the house for guided tours and open days in collaboration with the Az W and the MAK. In 2017, the façade and roof were renovated in collaboration with the Federal Monuments Office to prevent further damage. 

Numerous attempts to sell the house to the City of Vienna or the State of Austria in order to make it accessible as a house museum failed.

Villa Beer Foundation
In 2021, the Villa Beer Foundation was presented with the opportunity to acquire the house and bring its own vision of a house museum to life. After three years of meticulous preparation—including detailed restoration assessments of all materials and surfaces—renovation work began in spring 2024. Detailed and continuous updates on the restoration progress are available on our blog (in German), featuring regular reports and insights.

The works were completed in December 2025, and we look forward to welcoming our first guests to the house in March 2026.

Further articles:
The architects Josef Frank and Oskar Wlach 
More than a House