 From 1874 to 1878 he studied at the "Bauakademie" in Berlin, later serving as a professor of architectural history at the Technical University Berlin (1903–1921).He specialized in ancient architectural history, and also made significant contributions in the field of Islamic art history, of which, he performed studies of its decorative architectural elements from ancient to modern times.His best written effort was an inventory of architectural and artistic monuments of Berlin titled "Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler von Berlin.