Guntram Weissenberger

Guntram Weissenberger (May 31, 1926 - December 22, 2012) was an Austrian-American architect and construction entrepreneur who primarily focused on urban development issues.
Life
Guntram Weissenberger was born in Frankenmarkt, Upper Austria, and attended the Napola in Traiskirchen. He served in the Wehrmacht and, after the end of the war, began studying architecture at the Technical University of Graz. In 1948, he successfully applied for a scholarship in the United States, which was offered by Major General Harry J. Collins, the commander of the 42nd U.S. Infantry Division "Rainbow", then stationed in Salzburg. Weissenberger continued his studies at MIT and Harvard University, where he earned bachelor's and Master of Business Administration degrees. Afterwards, he returned to Austria and completed his studies in Graz in 1950 with a doctorate.
In 1956, Weissenberger established himself as a construction entrepreneur in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founding The Westover Companies. In the following years, he significantly shaped the appearance of Philadelphia's suburbs by constructing numerous office buildings, supermarkets, schools, parks, and playgrounds, especially in King of Prussia, where his company's headquarters is located. In the late 1990s, Weissenberger retired and lived alternately in the United States and Salzburg.
In addition to awards for urban development, he was honored with the "Prize of the Austrians Abroad" in 1997 and was named an honorary citizen of Frankenmarkt in 2004. In 2012, Weissenberger died aged 86 in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and was, in accordance with his wishes, laid to rest in the family grave in Frankenmarkt.
Works
* Aus der Siedlungs- und Baugeschichte des Marktes Frankenmarkt (= "From the settlement and building history of the market town of Frankenmarkt.") PhD thesis, Technical University of Graz 1950.
* My town. An Austrian career in the USA. Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-85002-585-0

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