Huge opportunity after sale of Kaufhof ruins

An eyesore in the middle of the city: the Kaufhof ruins. The course will soon be set anew here. © Reiner Mroß

The sale of the Kaufhof property in Hamm was well received by the public. Now it’s time for the planning phase – with big goals.

Hamm – One month after the sale of the former Kaufhof property to the newly founded “Green Roof Projekt GmbH & Co. KG” was announced, the first – quite loud – applause has died down. Now the planning phase has begun. Behind “Green Roof” are the two companies “Heckmann Bauland und Wohnungs” and “Hugo Schneider” as experienced players with a strong local awareness. This should be reflected in the development of the Kaufhof location.

After selling the Kaufhof property in Hamm: Now it’s time to plan

It is a “location with very high urban development appeal,” says Simon Schneider, managing director of Green Roof together with Franz Venker (Heckmann). “We have high aspirations to redesign the district,” says Schneider. Both emphasize that the demolition of the old property is unavoidable. “We looked into the substance intensively,” says Franz Venker. It is not possible to preserve the building built in 1961/62. The experts also recommended this as part of a feasibility study presented in 2021.

Venker and Schneider see the new development as a huge opportunity and a decisive contribution to sustainable change in the western city center. “When department stores were built, people didn’t think about the subsequent use of the property,” says Schneider. This turning point has long been clearly noticeable up and down the country.

Buyers of the Hammer Kaufhof property are pursuing a “mixed-use approach”

Green Roof Projekt GmbH & Co. KG is therefore pursuing a so-called “mixed-use approach” in its planning. This should enable various uses from culture, gastronomy to living and office use to retail and thus remain sustainable. There is no “blueprint” for what such a location should look like. “The very special conditions of a city play a crucial role here. You have to know what concerns the city and its citizens,” says Schneider. Both partners bring this knowledge with them.

The response so far has been very positive, says Franz Venker. Interested parties, for example for future office space, have already approached the developers. The purchase of the property was seen by many as a positive signal for the development of the city center, adds Schneider. There was a lot of applause from the political camps, among others.

After the demolition of the Kaufhof property, things should “move on quickly”

The last remaining tenants have now virtually vacated the property. A rental was unavoidable for the transfer of ownership, says Franz Venker. It is currently not possible to say how much time will pass until the demolition occurs. “But there will be no vacant land,” says Venker. “Things should continue quickly after the demolition.” The new building is based on the recommendations of the feasibility study and the variant with three building structures. “We have the opportunity to remove spatial barriers and re-open the space,” explains Schneider. No new planning law needs to be created for the 7,400 square meter property between Bahnhofstrasse, Gustav-Heinemannstrasse and Luisenstrasse.

Both expressly welcome the developments in the area: the hotel plans for the former TerVeen location, the student accommodation on Neue Bahnhofstrasse, the Kleist Residence (formerly Kipp’n in), which has already been occupied, and the plans for the former Novum opposite the Mercure. With the Kleist Forum, the museum and the Museum Quarter, the basis for a future homogeneous district has already been laid, and the development now runs like a “red thread” with further planning and ongoing construction projects.

The city and the former owners presented a feasibility study for the subsequent use of the Kaufhof property in 2021. For this purpose, the Düsseldorf architectural firm Hentrich Petschnigg & Partner (HPP) created two development variants, each of which provided for a clear building edge facing Bahnhofsstrasse, Gustav-Heinemannstrasse and Luisenstrasse and a green courtyard. The investors are not bound to the concept, but they say they want to follow it.