There are two properties with an interesting history: The painter Franz Marc spent part of his youth from 1892 to 1895 in a house at Schwanthalerstraße 55, a memorial plaque commemorates this. Right next to it, at Schwanthalerstraße 57, is the “Former Continental House”, as it is called in the list of Munich monuments. From 1913 the tire company Continental Gummi-Werke AG operated a branch there with sales rooms, offices and warehouses. Both buildings are currently empty, but that should change soon.
The Starnberg real estate company Ehret und Klein has acquired shares in the property with the two connected houses in the southern station district and is planning, together with the other owners, to bring new life to it. The aim is to create a “mixed use of office, retail and catering”, as stated in a press release by Ehret and Klein. The company emphasizes “the listed facades and the spacious inner courtyard” as special features of the project. A spokeswoman explains that the property is also to be made accessible to the public.
A plaque on the house with number 55 commemorates the painter Franz Marc. The building is currently empty – probably not for long.
(Photo: Simon Leonhardt)
The investors commissioned several architecture firms to develop concepts. A decision should be made in the next few weeks as to which concept will be implemented, the spokeswoman for Ehret und Klein explains when asked. The company holds “about half” of the shares, and no information is allowed to be given about the other owners. A schedule for when the project should be finished cannot yet be given. In their announcement, the investors write that there is still potential for densification. In the end, the double property should have a floor area of 10,600 square meters.
The company is known for architecturally striking projects
“The project in Schwanthalerstraße is part of the current mood of optimism in the station district, which is largely shaped by the new construction of the station reception building and the redesign of the forecourt,” says Michael Ehret, managing partner of Ehret und Klein. His company is involved in another, even more prominent construction project in the southern part of the station: Together with the Büschl Group from Grünwald, it is building a new office and commercial building on the corner of Bayerstrasse and Schillerstrasse, i.e. directly on the station forecourt.
Ehret und Klein is also active in other clearly visible places in the city with architecturally striking projects. At Heimeranplatz, at the corner of Ridlerstrasse and Garmischer Strasse, a 14-storey high-rise office building is currently being built, the shell of which is already well advanced. In addition, together with investor partners from Hamburg, the company recently presented a spectacular building project to the public at Candidplatz in Untergiesing: the “Candid-Tor”, a 64-meter-high complex made up of staggered blocks. However, the architectural concept received a mixed response from the urban planning committee – and now needs to be revised.