The Schillerpark Center stood empty for four years, but now life is finally coming back. The renowned martial arts studio “Spitfire” opened in the former real at the end of September on 3,500 square meters. Right next door, the “Ping Pong Park”, an indoor park for table tennis, will be opening in November. Other private sports facilities and sports shops are to follow.
The rear part of the center with the driveway to the huge parking deck will be demolished, as will the parking levels on the upper floors of the building. A hotel is planned here, and apartments will also be built right at the back next to the fire station. Negotiations between the owner of the property and the urban development office of the Mitte district are in full swing and building applications have already been submitted. In the renovation advisory board of the Living Center Müllerstrasse, the basic principles of the planning have already been presented to the district representative mensch.müller. However, as the process has not yet been completed, the details are still confidential and cannot be discussed here.
When there was still a Real market in the Schillerparkcenter
The legal framework for the conversion of the former shopping center, on the other hand, is public – and complicated: The building belongs to a real estate group, Aroundtown SA, which is based in Luxembourg and traded on the German stock exchange (Xetra). However, the property is owned by BVG, so Aroundtown only has a leasehold right of use. The BVG operates the Seestrasse subway main workshop right next door, and the access for the subways runs under the building. Because the operation of this facility could cause disturbances of the peace and quiet, which in extreme cases could even result in tenants suing for the plant to be shut down, the BVG does not allow the construction of apartments in the front part of the center above the access road. Of course, the district would like to see as much housing construction as possible here, because there is a particular shortage of apartments.
There is no longer any retail on Hungarystrasse, but Kaufland on Müllerstrasse remains
The urban development office obviously had no problems with the conversion of the retail space in the old center: the necessary renovation permits were granted, even though according to the center planning of the State of Berlin (SteP centers), Müllerstrasse currently has too little retail space. But of course you can’t ignore the reality: stationary retail is declining everywhere in view of the booming online trade and, especially on northern Müllerstrasse, the competition from the two mega-markets “real” and “Kaufland” has clearly gone in favor of the latter. Four years of vacancy also prove that another shopping center will no longer work here.
The conversion of former retail spaces for services, particularly in the leisure and sports sectors, seems to be a general trend that is particularly noticeable in Wedding. A few years ago, a huge fitness studio (Fit/One) moved into the upper floors of the former C&A on Müllerstrasse with a total area of 5,500 square meters (Fit/One), and right next door, above H&M, a fitness studio especially for women (Fit T9). Around the corner at Seestraße 50 there are three studios next to each other (Vitaris, Fit im Wedding and Kampfsportakademie Berlin) – all just a stone’s throw from the former Schillerpark Center. A little further away at Nettelbeckplatz, a new fitness studio is now set to move into the old post office.
Whether such a massive concentration can go well or whether there will be a showdown like with the mega supermarkets? For us, it’s not the district that decides, but the market. What is clear, however, is that the leisure, fitness and martial arts scenes are emerging from their niches. Instead of leading a marginal existence in old warehouses in remote industrial areas, it is conquering the conveniently located city centers. In the city center of Berlin, where most households now do not own a car, good connections to public transport play a crucial role. For the operators of the new large studios in the former Schillerpark Center, parking spaces don’t seem to be all that important. Even if the retail associations probably see it differently: this process does not have to be harmful to the centers. If weak retail is replaced by a well-frequented leisure sector, it will bring even more life to the local area and new, young and affluent walk-in customers to the old shopping streets.
Author: Christof Schaffelder
This article is first in the renovation magazine “Corner of Müllerstrasse” appeared.
