Hertz Henry Heilbuth had been born in Altona and founded four department stores in Hamburg together with his brother. In 1909, he had a prestigious house built in Feldbrunnenstraße, designed by the architects Hans and Oskar Gerson - the "Villa Heilbuth", which still exists today. After living here for over 20 years and having the house remodeled by the Gerson brothers as late as 1932, he sold it in 1933. Heilbuth was imprisoned in the Fuhlsbüttel concentration camp in July 1938 on charges of "racial defilement" – sexual relations with a non-Jewish woman – and was released two years later only on condition that he leave the country immediately.   In fact, a week later he applied to leave Germany for Shanghai, while his wife had already been able to flee to New York in 1938. Heilbuth's application was approved in September 1940, but he was unable to make the trip for health reasons. On July 7, 1941, at the age of 71, he died as a result of pneumonia in the alternative quarters of the Israelite Hospital in Johnsallee – less than 500 meters from his former home.   The new owner was Hans Krümmer, who had been the publisher of the "Hamburger Anzeiger" since 1933. The liberal daily newspaper had previously been politically silenced by intimidation from the SA and by the dismissal of its chief editor Alois Winbauer, who was critical of the regime. Krümmer – himself a member of the SA – also served as publisher of the FDP-affiliated "Hamburger Freie Presse" after World War II.   Although Heilbuth's descendants tried to get the house back, it was not returned. Krümmer sold it in 1952 to the city of Hamburg, which needed it to establish the newly founded UNESCO Institute for Education. Today, the building is used by the Institute of Human Movement Science of the Universität Hamburg. It is a protected monument, but the name "Villa Heilbuth" and the history behind it seem to have been forgotten.

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