Old umbrella factory (Krefeld)

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The old umbrella factory in Krefeld is a listed former industrial building in Steinstrasse 74-76 in Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia . Today the facility is used for residential purposes.

Building description

The building has three storeys and is T-shaped, with the former offices facing the street and the production rooms in the wing facing away from the street. Characteristic elements of the yellow brick facade in neo-renaissance style are the sandstone walls, which vary slightly on the different floors, and the brick surrounds of the generous windows. The top floor also has a continuous, floor-to-ceiling sandstone ledge with keystones underneath and sandstone consoles under the eaves. The large gate opening on the right side of the street is closed with a coffered wooden gate. In addition, the two outer of the seven window axes are emphasized by wider windows and an only slightly protruding risalite . The inner construction is based on reinforced concrete cap storey ceilings that rest on the massive outer walls, a few load-bearing inner walls and six steel girders built into the center of the building. The interior decoration shows the pillars and locksmith work on the historic main staircase behind the entrance gate.

Building history

The factory building was built in 1896 and operated by the company v. Haasen & Oppenheimer used. The surrounding quarter was laid out around 1840 and already densely populated with residential houses when the factory was built.

Production ended in 1980. In the following years there were several changes of ownership, which were connected with concepts for a new use. None of these were implemented, even if the last owner had started the conversion into high-priced condominiums before 2005.

Housing project "Alte Schirmfabrik"

In May 2005, Schleiff Denkmalentwicklung GmbH, based in Erkelenz, acquired the almost 1,300 square meter property by foreclosure sale from a savings bank. Schleiff had already been interested in a purchase in 2001 and 2003, but never got a chance.

Because of the socially difficult living environment, the concept envisaged the conversion to a rental building with social housing. The city administration of Krefeld advocated taking over the building and the usage concept from the start and supported the coordination with the monument protection authorities.

After the building permit was granted in spring 2006, work began on the site in early summer. The building was gutted apart from a few interior walls with a load-bearing function. Significant damage emerged from the vacancy rate of around 25 years. The existing staircase in the front part of the building received an elevator as an addition, another staircase was newly created in the rear part of the building. Otherwise, the division of the large floor areas into five residential units each was the most significant intervention in the interior of the building. The historical window structure was retained on the outside. The main change in the building envelope was the addition of balconies on the south side of the wing facing away from the street.

In April 2007 the apartments were ready for occupancy. There are 15 units with a total of a good 1200 square meters of living space, in particular between 38 and 112 square meters. The renovation costs are given at almost 1.8 million euros, of which 1.6 million come as a loan from the state's own housing subsidy. This brings with it a 20-year social commitment to a low rent.

In 2009 the renovation project was awarded the Krefeld Monument Prize.

literature

Coordinates: 51 ° 19 ′ 51.3 "  N , 6 ° 33 ′ 18.7"  E