Spemann Family Collection ( Almanac of the late Hugo Gebauer ).
Fritz Stünzner ( pronounced “ Shternzner ”) was born in Germany in 1873 and studied structural engineering . He arrived in Samoa in 1897 at the invitation of his uncle Kurt Hufnagel , manager of the Vailele Plantation , and spent some years on plantation projects . From 1902 he built up a sizable construction company , helped along by valuable contracts obtained from the German Administration . Stünzner reportedly built ( and may have designed ) the original Apia
Courthouse , completed in 1902 , which is still standing but has been extensively modified and extended . Albert Schaaffhausen is credited with having designed the extensions which were carried out between 1908-1912 .
The photo shows a Stünzner (“ Stuenzner ”) advertisement in the official German Administration Almanac for Samoa , of 1905 . It describes him as an architect and builder .
| To Walk Under Palm Trees - The Germans in Samoa : Snapshots from Albums | Tony Brunt
74