Persius assisted Schinkel with, among others, the building of the Charlottenhof Palace and the Roman Baths in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam.

He was also involved with the construction of the Great Fountain, the Church of Peace, and the Orangery and observation tower on the Ruinenberg opposite Sanssouci Palace.

In 1826 he passed his exam to become a master builder at the Academy of Architecture in Berlin, and became a building planner in Charlottenhof.

In 1833 he completed his first independent work, renovating the artificial mills (near the Roman Baths) into a residential house for Handmann, the gardener.

In 1845 he undertook a journey to Italy via Nîmes, Marseille and Genoa to Rome, Naples, Vicenza, Padua, Venice and Verona.