The Redoute was built in the neoclassical style between 1790 and 1792 under Archbishop Elector Max Franz; the architect was Martin Leydel. It was built to accommodate balls and other pleasures of the court – the name “Redoute” is what they used to call a costume ball. The original three-wing building was later expanded to include the oval garden between the two wings. At the time, the “Redüttchen” was the gardener’s house.
Before the Wendelstadts moved into the home in May of 1857, there was some reconstruction, during which a Rococo-style fence was installed. The fence had originally been part of the Cologne Jesuit College „Tricoronatum“, which stood where the Cologne Central Train Station stands today. The garden of the Redoute was enlarged and newly designed by Cologne master gardener Konrad Wilhelm Nelle; some greenhouses were also installed. In 1879, a covered bowling alley and an entrance pavilion were built in the garden, and in 1882, a teahouse was constructed. After Wendelstadt’s death in 1884, some conversions were made inside the Redoute. But it stayed in possession of the family and was used as a summer residence by Viktor Wendelstadt’s son Richard (1857-1918) until the beginning of the First World War.
After the beginning of the war, Richard Wendelstadt set up a military hospital on the upper floor of the house, which was medically supervised by the physician Hermann Wendelstadt (1862-1928), a brother of Richard. After Richard’s death, Hermann Wendelstadt sold the Redoute on January 22, 1920, including the grounds of 25 acres for 1.15 million marks to the municipality of Godesberg, which wanted to use it as a location for cultural functions. Some valuable furnishings remained in the possession of the Wendelstadt family and were moved to their villa in Schweinheim.
In 1925, the municipality of Godesberg added the Garden Ballroom to the Redoute, using plans from local architect Walter Bühling (1887–1955) under the supervision of conservator Edmund Renard. In the same year, the entrance gate at the Brunnenallee was installed in conjunction with the Rhineland millennial celebrations. It was made by local iron craftsman Gottlieb Gernhard (1889–1967). For some time, the “Redüttchen” was used as a pharmacy.
