His Tank and Wife’s school from 1855 is a sad sight. With each passing day, the impressions get worse and worse.
Several reasons for conservation
The few who still wander through the medieval city – the historic part of our city, are abandoned.
– You can not mean that! Are they going to take care of this here?
The lady who passes shakes her head.
Why we should take care of Tank’s school, city antiquarian Johanne Gillow is probably the best to answer.
– There are several reasons for that. The school building has intangible cultural value as the physical trace of a school with philanthropic origins and long traditions. Tanks school has had a significant place in the Bergen community for a long time and given many opportunities for an education, she points out.
She highlights the architectural-historical value, and its location and cultural-historical context.
Very important
– As it is located along Kong Oscars gate, the old main thoroughfare out of the city to the south with many preserved buildings, and close to other strong institutions and cultural monuments such as the Cathedral, the Cathedral School, and the “gentle foundations”; Danckert Krohn, St. Jørgen and Zander Kaas, and what was originally the technical college (Strømgaten 1), it is part of an important cultural-historical context in the city’s development and historical community life. In short, the building mass of Tanks is part of our common cultural heritage.
Gillow has also seen the increasing decline.
– It is very worrying to see how the building has fallen into disrepair since it ended as a school. We have been in dialogue with the owner before and drawn attention to the decay, the damage and the need for action. Building decay tends to accelerate if no maintenance or repair is done. In addition to the loss of cultural environmental value, it also becomes far more expensive to repair when the decay is allowed to continue. Maintenance is the first commandment for preservation. I do not know what plans the owner has for maintenance and repair, but for Tanks it is urgent.
When asked if there are public sanctions against a homeowner if a building worthy of protection is just falling into disrepair, Gillow answers:
– Yes it does. The homeowner has a duty to maintain the building and ensure safety. If this is not done, the municipality can order security. It is also possible to order maintenance and repair. This order sets a number of requirements that are also intended to ensure dialogue with the owner in the process.
No change of use
The owners, Magic Norway’s plans for the school building have been many, but there has been a lack of approval from the public sector. Thus, a rehabilitation of the facade has also been put on hold.
According to Ole Warberg at Magic Norway, this status is as of today:
– We wanted a change of use of the property, but only got a temporary one with a view to hosting Gingerbread City last year. It arrived too late and could not be used. Work has therefore been initiated on a zoning plan for the property. We assume this will be finished by New Year.
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