Richard's early diverse artistic inclinations were greatly influenced by his uncle, August Soller, a Prussian government construction officer and an important architect of the Schinkel school.

Apart from a Romanesque Revival and Art Nouveau transept added in 1900, the core of the building is Lucae's, including the main tower, the apse, part of the nave, the façade, and the rose window.

[1] Richard Lucae's residential work solidified his reputation and brought him into contact with prominent industrialists of the period.

Richard Lucae was called upon to design the new main building for the university, at that time the largest construction project in Berlin.

He completed the grand Neo-Renaissance plans shortly before his death, with architect Friedrich Hitzig and master builder Julius Raschdorff making alterations during execution of the project.

He became a critic of the existing architectural styles and deplored housing of the era for its lack of natural lighting, ventilation, and functionality.

[8] One of Lucae's students at the Bauakademie was Alfred Messel, who became one of the most well-known German architects at the turn of the 20th century[9] He created new architectural style which bridged the transition from historicism to modernism, reflected in his designs for such buildings as the Pergamon Museum and Wertheim department store.