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.

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.