James Simon residence

Henri James Simon was born on September 17, 1851, and was the son of wealthy merchant Isaac Simon, who prospered through the intermediate cotton trade. Despite his interests lying elsewhere, James Simon decided to follow in his father's footsteps after graduating from high school and continued the business in 1890 with his uncle Louis Simon. In 1911, James was ranked seventh in the list of millionaires in the capital of the Empire with a fortune of about 35 million marks. However, he was known not only as successful entrepreneur, but also as founder of many charitable associations and donated one third of his fortune during his life. Through his involvement with the German Orient Society he financed expeditions and excavations to Mesopotamia, Babylon and Egypt, where 1912 great finds such as the head of Nefertiti were discovered. His villa at the Tiergarten was used as a "private museum", where the art lover exhibited the great finds and received guests such as Kaiser Wilhelm II. However, in 1920 he decided to give away the finds to Berlin museums. James Simon died on May 23, 1932. His villa at the Tiergarten was destroyed during World War II. Today, on the same spot stands the State Representation of Baden-Württemberg as well as a memorial plaque commemorating James Simon.