The first exhibition of the artists' colony took place in 1901 with the title "A Document of German Art". The exhibits were the colony's individual houses, the studios and various temporary constructions. The exhibition was opened on 15 May with a festival proposed by
Peter Behrens and inspired interest far beyond Darmstadt's borders, but ended nonetheless with a large financial loss in October.
Paul Bürck,
Hans Christiansen and
Patriz Huber left the colony shortly afterwards, as did Peter Behrens and
Rudolf Bosselt in the following years.
Ernst Ludwig House The Ernst Ludwig House was built as a common atelier following plans drawn up by
Joseph Maria Olbrich. Olbrich had worked as an architect and was the central figure in the group of artists, Peter Behrens having been involved at first only as a painter and an illustrator. The laying of the foundation stone took place on 24 March 1900. The atelier was both a worksite and a venue for gatherings in the artists' colony. In the middle of the main floor is the meeting room with paintings by Paul Bürck and there are three artist studios on each side of it. There are two underground artists' apartments and underground rooms for business purposes. The entrance is located in a niche that is decorated with gold-plated flower motifs. Two six-metre tall statues, "Man and Woman" or "Strength and Beauty", flank the entrance and are the work of Ludwig Habich. The artists' houses were grouped around the atelier. Towards the end of the 1980s, the building was rebuilt and turned into a museum () about the Darmstadt Artists' Colony.
The artists' houses The artists could buy property in favourable conditions and construct residential houses that were to feature in the exhibition. It was envisaged that the efforts to combine architecture, interior design, handicraft and painting should thus be demonstrated with concrete examples. Only Olbrich, Christiansen, Habich and Behrens could afford to build homes of their own but there were nonetheless eight fully furnished houses in the first exhibition.
Wilhelm Deiters' House Wilhelm Deiters was the manager of the artists' colony. His house was designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich, who was also responsible for the ground floor interior. It is the smallest of the houses and its particular form is the result of the quadratic shape of the property on which it is built, which lies at the intersection of two streets. It survived the war unscathed and was restored to its original appearance in 1991–1992 following several less fortunate attempts to renovate and redesign it. The building was the home of the from 1996 to 2016.
The large Glückert House Joseph Maria Olbrich also designed this house for Julius Glückert. It was the largest in the exhibition. Julius Glückert was a producer of furniture and an important promoter of the artists' colony. He had envisaged selling the house as soon as it was finished, but decided shortly before its completion to use the building for a permanent exhibition of pieces produced in his factory. The house was partially destroyed in World War II, later rebuilt and then restored in the 1980s. Today it is used by the
German Academy for Language and Poetry.
The small Glückert House (Rudolf Bosselt House) This house was also designed by
Joseph Maria Olbrich. The sculptures on the facade are the work of
Rudolf Bosselt.
Patriz Huber was responsible for the interior design. Bosselt began work on the house, but was not able to cover the costs of construction. Glückert thus took over the house and paid for its completion. Its present appearance approximates its original form.
Peter Behrens' House Peter Behrens was a self-taught architect. His design for his own house and its interior represented his debut. Having one and the same architect and interior designer gave the house a particularly pronounced consistency. It was however also the single most expensive house in the exhibition, with total costs of 200,000 Mark. Behrens never lived in it, choosing instead to sell it shortly after the exhibition. It was heavily damaged in
World War II, but at least the exterior has been largely restored to its original state. Some articles and pieces of furniture were apparently removed from the house at an earlier date and have thus survived.
Joseph Maria Olbrich's House Olbrich's own house was relatively cheap at 75,000 Mark. The building had a red
hip roof that continued down over the ground floor on the northern side. Olbrich himself had also designed the entire interior. The house was heavily damaged in World War II. It was rebuilt in 1950–1951, although everything above the ground floor was completely changed. Only the white and blue tiles on the facade recall the original construction. It was used by the German Polish Institute from 1980 to 1996. which was the studio and residence of sculptor Ludwig Habich. Patriz Huber was responsible for the interior design. The building is notable for its flat roof and
solid geometry with its Spartan decoration. After suffering serious damage during the war, it was rebuilt in 1951 with certain changes in the details but in accordance with the original plans.
Hans Christiansen's House The House Christiansen was designed by Olbrich in accordance with painter Hans Christiansen's wishes. The facade was dominated by large areas of colour, but the decoration was at times also figurative. It was painted by Christiansen and offered plenty of material for discussion. The artist and his family lived in the house for quite some time, even though Christiansen worked for the most part outside of Darmstadt in later years. The building was completely destroyed in World War II and not reconstructed. A gap was left where it had stood, thereby also destroying the original symmetry of the area.
Georg Keller's House This house, known as "Beaulieu" was erected for the well-off Georg Keller according to plans drawn up by Joseph Maria Olbrich. Following its destruction in the war, it was rebuilt completely differently. == Second Exhibition 1904 ==