KUCHLER, George Coenraad (Major)

Architect

Kuchler came to the Cape before 1785; he was born in Hesse near Darmstadt, Germany and was a soldier (a lieutenant commanding Artillery) from 1785 until 1795. He was promoted to captain, in which capacity he inspected damage done to the 'Gardens of the Republic' (De Puyfonteine 1978:4). In 1803 he was promoted a major. Kuchler is not known to have had any architectural or engineering training but is said to have collaborated with LM THIBAULT on several buildings about the time of the second British occupation of the Cape according to Kesting (1978). In about 1800, Thibault made a design for a new church to replace the 1714 building for the Huguenots in Paarl but discovered Kuchler building the church instead of him (De Puyfontaine 1972:45-6). Kuchler's involvement with this building may explain the appearance of his name on a plan for the church, dated 1714, which suggested that Kuchler was active in the Cape at that time (Greig:1971:143). Kuchler left the Cape in 1806.

All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.

List of projects

With photographs
With notes

Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk - Strooidak: 1800-1805. Paarl, Western Cape - Architect

Books citing KUCHLER

Fransen, Hans. 2004. The old buildings of the Cape. A survey of extant architecture from before c1910 in the area of Cape Town - Calvinia - Colesberg - Uitenhage. Johannesburg & Cape Town: Jonathan Ball Publishers. pp 258

HSRC. 1987. Dictionary of South African Biography Volume V. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council. pp 429

Lewcock, Ronald. 1963. Early Nineteenth Century Architecture in South Africa : a study of the interaction of two cultures, 1795-1837. Cape Town: AA Balkema. pp 444

Picton-Seymour, Désirée. 1989. Historical Buildings in South Africa. Cape Town: Struikhof Publishers. pp 55