In my last post  from 18 June, I had reported about the difficulties in finding an investor to take on the Officers’ Club. All that has changed within the last two weeks – after 17 years of lying idle.

The Taunuszeitung, dated 30 June 2010, had the following article Luxus hinterm Fachwerk (extravagance behind the half-timber). The Oberurseler Woche, date 01 July 2010, also carried an article titled  Im Offizierskasino entstehen Wohnungen (The Officers’ Club will change into apartments).

Over the years, several investors had been interested in the Officers’ Club, but none of their plans of turning it into any kind of business got approved. The residents of this Villenviertel (exclusive residential area) had enough say-so to put any type of business plans to rest.

This has come to an end with the current investor’s proposal for turning the building into privately owned apartments. To do that, the investor set up his own corporation, Mountain Lodge Grundstücks-GmbH, and bought the areal of 1200 qm (close to three acres) from the city of Oberursel.

The Officers’ Club (also called Mountain Lodge around here) has found a new purpose, and the previous hope of getting the basement to house the Camp King archives is lost. Manfred Kopp, the Camp King archivist, is still without a permanent home for the Camp King archives, but we will continue looking for an appropriate location.

I usually do not blog about a customer service experience, but this one is too unusual to pass up.

For the past five years or so, we have used the Brillenhaus in our neighborhood and were quite satisfied with the service. But with this new and young team, obviously lacking in soft skills, customer service has changed.

My experience there went as following:

* 07  Juni – ordered our son’s contact lenses at the shop, which were supposed to be in two days later.

* 10. Juni – another trip to the shop to pick up the promised merchandise. The lenses were not in, but the sales associate promised to call once the shipment had arrived.

* 15. June – sent an e-mail to inquire about my order.

* 15 June – got a phone-call to inform me the lenses had arrived.

* 16 June – another trip to the Brillenhaus to pick them up.

* 20 June -  our son noticed that I had been handed one wrong packet in terms of  prescription.

* 21 June – sent in my claim by e-mail, and inquired whether the right prescription lenses were available. Also pointed out the urgency of this matter, as our son needed them before his upcoming trip.

* 22 June – sent a friendly reminder in regards to my previous mail.

* 23 June – another trip to the shop, where I inquired if they had gotten my mail. Yes, was the answer. Once again I had to ask if they had the right lenses available and after a quick fumble under the counter, the right packet was produced and handed over.

Nothing else was said. No apology either.

I have been told Fielmann in Oberursel has a good and reliable staff – with excellent customer service.

A stateside reader and former military family member left a comment on a previous post about the Mountain Lodge, situated on Camp King’s hillside. This served as a reminder to check into its progress.

In February, I had reported about the city’s plans to turn the Mountain Lodge into a culture center by year end. This was to include giving the Camp King archives a final home on its former grounds. As of now, the archives are still being housed in a damp basement of some café in our neighborhood, just outside of Camp King.

Boarded-up Mountain Lodge Camp King Oberursel

Earlier today, I took a stroll  to take a closer look at the building. Yes, it is still boarded up and knowing German bureaucracy, I see no way of having this project even started by year end. Could be due to a lack of funds as well, since the city is getting into high gear for the Hessentag 2011 event.

Mountain Lodge stairway

Another speculation is the Mountain Lodge’s neighborhood. Early on in the building process, there had been talk of turning the building into a fancy restaurant. But the German neighbors did not agree to it. When building a new house or changing the existing function of a building, there has to be a common consent or the project dies right then and there.

Then there was talk of turning the building into a hotel, and again this proposal was rejected as well. After that private investors shied away from the building, and now this might only leave the city of Oberursel to pour some finances and purpose into it.

Hearsay has it that most of Camp King residents are part of the Erbengeneration. This Erbengeneration (generation of heirs) inherited money from parents/grandparents who worked hard in the early post war years and left substantial sums to this new generation of settlers. The reputation of these well-heeled folks is not too grand around here.

Today, I have sent an inquiry in regards to the Mountain Lodge and its future to the Oberursel Municipal Administration. I wonder if I get a response… My most recent inquiry to the city archives of Oberursel, mailed 24 March and a friendly reminder on 30 April, have not been answered yet.

Through my continued interest in the history of Camp King, which began with the podcast Graham and I recorded in 2007, I’ve been able to gather more and more information. Through learning more about this part of our German history, my circle of like-minded correspondents has also widened.

My special gratitude goes to Ambassador Dolibois, who gave permission to share 12 special photos. In 1945,  Ambassador Dolibois was stationed at Camp King with the U.S. Army Intelligence. After the war, he was transferred from Oberursel to Luxembourg, and then served as Goering’s interrogator before and during the Nuremberg trials.

For today’s post, I have chosen a few photos taken around the area of Camp King and the adjacent Motorwerke.

Unidentified officer at Camp King in 1945

For more on Ambassador Dolibois’s role as an American interrogator at Mondorf Palace, Luxembourg, listen to his interview on youtube.

Motorenwerke Rolls Royce 1945

The Motorenfabrik Oberursel was occupied by U.S. troops at the end of WW II.

M.I.S. Center Motor Pool at the Motorenwerke in Oberursel 1945

At the Motor Pool in Oberursel 1945

Motor Pool, Oberursel 1945

The Ambassador has also published Pattern of Circles: An Ambassador’s Story.

Special credit also goes to Hanns-Claudius Scharff, who was instrumental in obtaining these photos from Ambassador Dolibois. His father published  The Interrogator: The Story of Hanns Joachim Scharff: Master Interrogator of the Luftwaffe (Schiffer Military History).

One of my friend’s invited me to take photos from her ninth-floor apartment where one has a splendid view towards the Feldberg on one side and the former U.S. Military Camp King on the other side.

The picture on the left shows the snowed-in settlement of Camp King with the Mountain Lodge perched on the hillside (you can recognize it by its steeple).

Sunday afternoon was a busy time in front of the lodge. This hill leading to the lodge is the best one around the neighborhood in regards to sledding.

… by the way, even more snow is in the forecast for 2 February 2010.