High-rise building
The Hochtiefhaus in Essen's Südviertel has been the headquarters of the Hochtief construction company since 1938 . It is to be replaced by a new building in the same place in 2020.
History and architecture
The construction company Hochtief, founded in Frankfurt am Main in 1873 , relocated its headquarters to Essen in 1922 to the Victoriahaus on the horse market, which was destroyed in World War II.
In February / March 1937, construction began on today's corporate headquarters at Opernplatz 2, south of downtown Essen . The architects Curt Bucerius and Theodor Kleemann designed it in a rather “restrained style and did not orientate themselves on the zeitgeist”, the often monumental style of the 1930s. An acute-angled head building with side wings of different lengths and the main entrance on Opernplatz was built between Gutenbergstrasse and Rellinghauser Strasse. In April 1938 they moved into the building, which had what was then a modern telephone switchboard, a blueprint, social rooms and an employee casino.
Current condition
The building was largely spared from destruction during the war, but underwent a few renovations in the 1960s. Today, some of the building has been preserved in its original condition. This includes the main entrance area as the dominant element. The door leaves of the cast steel door, designed by the Düsseldorf sculptor Erich Kuhn, represent typical construction work processes. Several renovations have taken place inside, especially in the striking stairwells.
The Hochtief House, together with the RWE Tower and the Aalto Theater, form an architecturally interesting ensemble on Opernplatz.
Planning for demolition and new construction
Hochtief plans to demolish the old building in favor of a new company headquarters in the same place. In November 2019, the winner of five architectural designs was presented in Essen's town hall . This design, favored by the group, comes from an architecture firm in Düsseldorf. It is a six-storey building for around 1100 workplaces. By mid-December 2019, the employees will move from the high-rise building on Opernplatz to the location on Alfredstrasse. The demolition work is scheduled to begin in March 2020.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Derwesten.de of February 4, 2016: Essen Monument Authority examines the high-rise building on Opernplatz ; accessed on November 29, 2019
- ^ A b Hochtief in the Third Reich: History 1933 to 1945 ; accessed on November 29, 2019
- ^ City of Essen: Hochtief plans sustainable company headquarters on Opernplatz Essen ; Press release from November 27, 2019; accessed on November 29, 2019
Coordinates: 51 ° 26 ′ 49.6 ″ N , 7 ° 0 ′ 50.3 ″ E