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Eurotowern
Kaiserstrasse 29, Frankfurt
1971 - 1977
The 40 story building, formerly known as BfG skyscraper was designed by Richard Heil and Johannes Krahn, and was the first highrise building
with prismatic figure in Frankfurt. With a height of 148 meters and a prominant location, the building is dominating the Frankfurt skyline.
Despite its mass and size the building appears slim and elegant, which is mainly due to the vertical façade design.
Originally the user had been the union-owned bank for social economy (Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft - BfG), which could move into the building in 1977.
Later the building was taken over by the European Monetary Institute. On June 1 1998 the European Central Bank emerged out of the mentioned institute.
The skyscraper stands at the Willy-Brandt-Platz and occupies an entire city block. The other limiting roads are the Kaiserstrasse,
lined with numerous skyscrapers, the Neue Mainzer Strasse and the Gallusanlage.
The BfG skyscraper was the first highrise building in Frankfurt which was open to the public, even if only in the basements.
In the lower three floors was a shopping center until the 1990s, with direct access to Theatre Square Metro Station (now Metro Station Willy-Brandt-Platz).
After the former BfG Bank moved out and took residence in a new skyscraper, the Euro Tower was rebuilt in 1995/96 for the European Central Bank.
The unprofitable retail space of the former shopping center was then reduced to some outlets fronting the road and the passage to the subway station.
Later the whole base was used by the ECB. Since then, the building comprises 46,600 sqm of usable space. From 1994 to 2007
the building was in possession of an open real estate funds belongig to the Dresdner Bank subsidiary DEGI.
Then it was sold to the New York RFR Holding for a price of 430 million euros.
The growing space requirements of the European Central Bank could no longer be met with the available spaces in the center of Frankfurt.
In November 2014, the headquarters moved to the new European Central Bank neighbouring the Grossmarkthalle in the Ostend quarters.
After renovation, the building will be used by the European Banking Supervisors from the end of 2015.