How do you like Frankfurt´s youngest high rise? I have split feelings, because the building has robbed me of a lost place.

But let’s start at the beginning.

The building I am talking about is the European Central Bank, Sonnemannstraße 20, in Frankfurt’s East End. It was build some years back and has an interesting detail. The architectural concept includes one piece of Frankfurt’s architecture history, which is an old, heritage protected market hall. The story in fast forward mode:

1928: Architect Martin Elsaesser creates a revolutionary structure (220 m x 50 m, between 17 and 23 m high) which did not need any columns or walls for stabilisation due to his genius skills and a special roof construction. The structure was used as a market hall for fruits and vegetables until its closure 2004 – with some dark chapters during the Nazi regime when it’s underground railway tracks were the starting point for Jews’ deportations.

I had always planned to take photos inside the hall, but for some reason I did not manage to do it. And then it closed and it was too late.

2004 – 2010: It was a lost place… I had always planned to take photos inside the empty, abandoned place, but – believe it or not – I did not manage to do it then, either. And then it was too late.

2010 – 2014: Everything was a huge construction site. Years and years of a big mess, with a double tower slowly rising to the sky. And then, what happened to the market hall? Thanks to its status as protected heritage, the new owners of the site were not allowed to take it down. There was a mandatory requirement to include the old building into the new concept and leave it intact at the same time. I assume this is not the builder’s dream, but they did it. They built two towers which are connected in the middle. They included the old market hall in a very clever house-in-house concept, i.e. they built a three-story meeting room area inside the market hall as an independent building. This means, the old building is like a shell around the new building without disturbing the protected structures. If they wanted to, they could even take the new stuff out again and the old thing would still be there. I like this idea a lot.

2017: Finally, I managed to do a guided tour to the ECB site, including the old market hall, which is now the lobby, meeting room area, canteen, cafeteria, library, you name it. But, finally, I went in there, after 20 years of not managing before. The guide lady told us a very funny story from the time when ECB was looking for a site to build the office towers. The mayor of Frankfurt led them to the place on river main, which is not the immediate center of town but some minutes away from the other banks and big companies. The East End was rather shabby at the time, with poorer families and used car sellers. As the story goes, the ECB managers were not amused to be led “… to the Bronx of Frankfurt…”. Obviously, they could be convinced and made the deal. Today, East End is one of the raising quarters, with real estate prices going through the roof.

2018: Life is funny sometimes. I did not manage to visit the market hall for 20 years. January 9th this year, I started working for the European Central Bank and have an office at 11th floor, north tower, and have my lunch every day in the old market hall, with a view on river Main. If you don’t go see John, John will finally come to see you.