Baumgart was born on May 25, 1889, in the city of Blumenau, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
A typical German-Brazilian of his days, Emílio Henrique Baumgart was bilingual, speaking both German and Portuguese fluently.
Emílio Henrique Baumgart started his studies in his home state but also studied in the city of São Leopoldo in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
While attending the Escola Politécnica, Baumgart worked as an intern with the Firma L. Riedlinger (an engineering firm located in Rio de Janeiro).
Lambert Riedlinger brought the reinforced concrete building technique from Germany at the time.