Posted by Chip Chapin on March 12, 2000 at 19:33:02:In Reply to: Re: I. G. Farben Building (now the Poelzig-Bau) Frankfurt, Germany. Architect: Hans Poelzig posted by Enrico A. Serine on February 21, 2000 at 17:55:49:
The history of the Poelzig-Bau and its present use are described at http://www.angelfire.com/ny/IGFarben/index.html
For the first 15 years of its life, it was the headquarters for IG Farbenindustrie, a cartel of chemical, dye, and drug companies that was disbanded after World War II.
For the following 50 years, the building was the Headquarters of the US Army's V (Fifth) Corps, and also housed several Army Security Agency and communications units.
In 1995, it was turned over to the German Federal Government, which sold it to the State of Hessen, which purchsed it for Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität (Frankfurt University) and it will house the Universität's Humanities Departments. It is currently in the process of major renovation..and has been granted special permission to keep its now-unique open-door paternoster elevators (which are not allowed in new buildings).