Most of the rooms in the Paul Heyse villa in Maxvorstadt are now empty. The tenants have “largely” moved out, the owner explains. After years of dispute and an agreement in court, a conversion and extension are now imminent.
Architect Carlos Graf Maltzan explains that “preparatory measures” are currently being taken at Luisenstrasse 22, near Königsplatz. He is not only the owner of the area, but also designed the two-story extension with an attic that is to be built on the border to the Glyptothek garden. The footprint of the new building is about “15 meters by 19 meters”. Upstairs, also under the roof, will later be lived in, with shops and offices moving in on the ground floor and first floor. An underground car park is also planned. The previous transverse building has to give way for the project.
The villa itself has been preserved. It was probably built in 1835. The poet Paul Heyse lived here for 30 years, to whom it owes its name. After the Second World War, little was left of the original building. However, the building was restored in a reduced form. It is still considered an important architectural part of Maxvorstadt.
“Moderate new construction” instead of demolition
That is why there was resistance when Reinhard Zinkmann acquired the property in 2013. His development ideas met with rejection from both the population and the planning department. No agreement could be reached in court. Maltzan bought the property from Zinkmann.
But the argument didn’t end there. In 2017, an agreement was finally reached before the administrative court on the construction of a “moderate new building”. It was feared that the villa would have been demolished without a settlement, the local building commission said later. With this solution, the building remains a monument. It is now to be renovated and rebuilt. The use should remain “similar to before”, says the architect. Means: commercial premises on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floor.
More years have passed since the compromise. “A building permit had to be obtained,” explains the owner. You had to come to an agreement with the tenants. Construction work is expected to start in the second half of the year. They will last “probably three or four years”.
The project remains controversial. “The district committee (BA) was never in favor of it,” says committee leader Svenja Jarchow-Pongratz (Greens). In the past, the BA had spoken out against it several times. The chairwoman is of the opinion that there is no need for more office space in Maxvorstadt. The fact that trees have to fall for this construction project is “unspeakable” and “no longer up to date”.