Erwin Winkler

Born in Austria to Alois Winkler and Josefine Urban, Erwin emigrated to New Zealand in the 1950s, finding work in the Housing Division at the Ministry of Works with Sectional Head, Friedrich Neumann (1900–1964). Under Neumann’s guidance, Erwin worked on such seminal projects as the Star Block Apartments and prototype "expandable houses" built for the Parades of Homes events in 1957.

In 1958, Erwin teamed with Austrian colleague at the Ministry, Fritz (Friedrich) Eisenhofer (1926-2023), to form the architectural practice Winkler & Eisenhofer. They established an office in Cuba Street in Wellington and produced, as Tanja Poppelreuter has described, elegant houses, "examples of internationally inspired modernism, adapted to New Zealand conditions, that lack those elements that were perceived as characteristics of a distinct New Zealand architecture" (p.876).

The pair’s elegant aesthetic was often sought for the design of new cafe’s. Wellington’s emerging cosmopolitan coffee scene included hot spots such as Chez Lilly (Dixon Street, 1959) and Suzy’s Coffee Lounge (Willis Street, 1964). This cafe was immortalised in Rita Angus’s 1967 painting 'At Suzy’s Coffee Lounge'. Their practice continued until 1969 when each went into solo practice.

Erwin married Patricia Madlene Sheffield (1921-2006) in 1960, and they had at least one child, a son, born in 1966.

See also:

• Poppelreuter, Tanja, ‘Changing Places: New Zealand Houses by Winkler & Eisenhofer 1958 to 1969’, The Journal of Architecture, 18.6 (2013), pp. 875–904, doi:10.1080/13602365.2013.859167
• Suzy's Coffee Lounge, Wellington, 1960s, (Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 21-Jul-2015
• Exterior of the Chez Lilly restaurant in Dixon Street, Wellington. Evening post (Newspaper. 1865-2002) :Photographic negatives and prints of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP/1959/2794-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/30631959