Oct 14, 2011

Camp King in Oberursel

Inspired by some positive feedback I got from a stateside reader (in contrast to what my son says about this blog), I decided to take a little walk through the Camp King neighborhood on this beautiful Indian summer day.

Camp King Oberursel

The Officers' Club at Camp King Oberursel

Officers' Club a.k.a. Mountain Lodge in Oberursel

In June 2010, I had written a short post about Officers’ Club at Camp King finds Investor. Unfortunately, nothing has been done on the outside since then.

Basement window of the Officers' Club

Overgrown by weeds.

Overlooking the grounds of the former Camp King Oberursel

This photo was taken on the steps of the back entrance, looking down the hill side, towards Hohemarkstrasse (not in view).

Near the front entrance of the Officers' Club Oberursel

The area around the Officers’ Club shows some very modern apartment buildings and some one-family homes in the half-timbered style.

Nothing really much has changed since the Mountain Lodge/Officers’ Club got its new owner. And time is not on its side – another ten years without occupancy and then…?

A photo of the beautiful  Mountain Lodge in wintertime.

Jul 4, 2010

Officers’ Club at Camp King finds Investor

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.

Jun 18, 2010

Officers’ Club at Camp King Oberursel

Once again, the business deal fell through.

For the past ten years,  the Stadtentwicklungs- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH Oberursel (SEWO) has been trying to sell the Officers’ Club (aka as Mountain Lodge) without success. The original asking price of € 1.5 million has come down to € 900.000, but petitions and restrictions from the  surrounding neighbors make the sale difficult, if not downright impossible.

The building, erected in 1938, served as the Officers’ Club from 1945 until 1993.

The Officers' Club at Camp King Oberursel

The last potential buyer was going to run an office on the first floor, possible rent out two spacious apartment under the roof, as well letting our historian Manfred Kopp keep his Camp King archives in the basement.

Now it is official as yesterday’s e-mail from SEWO confirmed – the house is on the market once more and the search for another location to house the Camp King documents is on.

In October 2009, the Frankfurter Rundschau had published an interesting article Büros in der alten Wiskeybar.

To read more about this project, read my previous Camp King posts.

When time stands still... Officers' Club Camp King

During the construction boom in the late 1990s, this important building was overlooked. Call it negligence or ignorance, but had a specific land-use type for this building been added BEFORE the sale of the surrounding houses, the Officers’ Club would have had a caretaker by now. Instead of being idle inventory, Oberursel could have added this as a historical monument to its portfolio.

I am afraid the tower clock will read 12:15 for many years to come.

Note: U.S. Americans refer to the building as the Officers’ Club, whereas most Germans call it the Mountain Lodge.

May 5, 2010

Camp King Oberursel Mountain Lodge

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.

Feb 1, 2010

Camp King Oberursel – Mountain Lodge

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 new Camp King settlement in Oberursel

The Mountain Lodge in wintery light

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.

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