71 Comments Posted by Kaipirinha

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@ Patricia:

We're working on this and allready have quite some plans. I live between Bamberg and Schweinfurt (closer to Schweinfurt) in Bavaria, Germany, and both cities have US Army bases which are about to be closed this summer.

The Schweinfurt base will surely became a new campus for our college (well... actually it's a Fachhochschule^^) and the Bamberg base will be turned into a new quarter of the city - Bamberg is a city that struggles with too few housing and skyrocketing housing costs, so I hope the new use of the army base will solve this problem.

Another thing that is currently happening in Bamberg is the reuse of the Schaeffler factory, located pretty much in downtown Bamberg. It used to be a huge factory area, built between 1890 and 1970 - at least I assume this, considering the different architectural styles. Instead of being torn down completely, they opened up the facade of the big 1960s-70s building for balconies, renovated also the older parts and turned it into a sub-borough of Bamberg consisting of loft appartments. (You can see it at www.schaeffler2-0.de)

Similar thing with the Ziegelbau (Brickstone Building), a huge 19th century tube factory that was turned into a hotel, event- and business-center (where I had my graduation ball). The interior is a mixture of 19th century industrial style and ultra-modern sleek design, very stylish.

Or nearby, in Zeil am Main, where the Erbelle Spinning Mill, which was built between 1890 and 1960, was turned into a shopping mall. No need to tear down the industrial structures for a shopping mall - just conversion.

There are several more examples for the conversion of unneeded historic factories in my town that have been converted into housing or commercial structures.
Ephemera: Industrial Reuse: Just a Pipe Dream?
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A strip mall? Well, maybe I'm wrong, but to me it looks like it's exactly in the middle of nowhere.
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Is the wooden thing on the floor the bottom part of the billiards table?
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Need these lights for my 50s living room!
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Which floor was this? Second? I wouldn't dare standing on such a rotten wooden balcony... good that you got out safe!
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Yeah, seems like somebody stole the top board of the fireplace, you can still see it's outlines on the wall.
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Fire Hazard? Nah... don't think so. I also have cast iron radiators at my home, and during winter season, I always put my clothes on them before I go to bed so they are warm and cozy the next morning. These things can get way to hot to touch, but I don't think they can burn the clothing.
@ photo: Beautiful! I love the contrast between the derelict, raw and rotten wall and the intricate belle-epoque ceiling lamp. Got some "Memento Mori" style, very well done.
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I'm pretty sure they do! At least we have him in Germany. Here he's called "Meister Propper". Maybe there he is "Signore Pulito"?
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Great shot! But this would be nothing for me... When it comes to heights, dusting the ceiling fans while standing on a household ladder already gives me the ultimate thrill!
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Yep, that's original tile. Greek revival style.
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This kind of ceiling is called a "Prussian Vault" or "Berlin Vault", and was pretty popular between 1890 and 1930, sometimes until the 1950s. It was mostly used in places where wooden ceilings would rot away - like basements - or where heavy-duty ceilings were needed. I have seen many basements in my home area - Upper Franconia, near Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany - and about 90% of the houses I have seen dating back to the era stated above have this type of vaults in their basements.
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Ahh... totally disgusting plastic lamp shades. The Spirit of Bitterfeld. Some parts of the DDR will just live on forever.....
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Nope, the ivy won't kill the trees. It just grows there, but the growth kinda slows down after some while, probably due to winter frost.
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Nope, the stucco decor is original. The brickwork is not made for beauty, it's just a building material, and was covered with stucco that resembles an neo-renaissance sandstone facade. I personally think it needs the stucco. Without it, it would have a very industrial touch.
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Well, my friends, let a true European (me <---) translate for you: In the left lower corner we've got an "oh yeeeh!" and an "I 'love' it". above there is an "MC". on the far corner wall we have an "TNT!! eb?!" (very conversational!), right next to an "tPZ", which could also be interpreted as an "tRZ". I can't make out what the boarded-up window says, except the "NO" on the far left. the pink masterpiece to the right is an "bR" or an "loR", with it's great informational value unfortunately interrupted by the end of the photo. Oh, what a shame! I hope you all are so deeply moved as I am by the great meaning of those literary stunning works of art. Oh, and the photo's nice, too, Motts.^^