The Weissenhof Estate was created in 1927 within the context of the building exhibition Die Wohnung (The Dwelling) that was organized by the Deutscher Werkbund and financed by the city of Stuttgart. During the exhibition thirty-three buildings could be viewed from the outside and visited on the inside. Following the exhibition they were rented out by the city.

Under the artistic direction of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, seventeen international architects presented thirty-three innovative and forward-looking designs for modern, healthy, affordable, and functional living. The participants included great architects such as Walter Gropius, Hans Scharoun, and Le Corbusier.

In addition to the model houses at the Weissenhof Estate, there were three additional exhibition venues on modern building around the world, on interior design, and on building materials and constructions. Five hundred thousand visitors attended the exhibition, which ran for four months and was noted the world over.