Endless corridors, smashed windows, empty offices and a wing of tiled cells where caught criminals had to wait for their interrogation. The old police headquarters in Frankfurt is one of the eerie Lost Places in Germany.
Often the places left to decay are in the countryside. However, the police headquarters, which was completed between 1911 and 1914 during the imperial period, is located in the center of the Gallus district of the banking city, halfway between the main train station and the exhibition center.
In the early years, the monumental building in neo-baroque style was called “New Royal Police Headquarters at Hohenzollernhof”, today the street is called Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage and is a popular photo motif for “Urbexers”. This term stands for “Urban Exploration” – what is meant is the discovery and photographic documentation of so-called Lost Places.
After the police headquarters moved to new premises in 2002, the city of Frankfurt argued about a new usage concept and the state of Hesse was looking for an investor. However, the high selling price for the listed building deterred potential investors.
Celebrations in the ruins: “Club Presidium 19/11”
In the meantime, the abandoned building served as a film set, including for crime scene 609 entitled “Leerstand”. It was also possible to celebrate when the “Club Presidium 19/11” moved in.
It was not until 2018 that the land and property went to the Düsseldorf-based Gerchgroup for 212 million euros, which will invest 800 million euros in the “Das Präsidium” project. The company has specialized in “residential and commercial real estate” and sees the old police headquarters as “one of the last major development areas in downtown Frankfurt.”
A realization competition has long since ended. Demolition of the ugly extensions is set to begin next year and a high-rise building on the property is set to go up by 2026. The historic building is being “revitalized”; offices and free and subsidized apartments are to be accommodated there.
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