For many creative people in Frankfurt and the region, a dream could soon come true: for a decade, representatives of the creative industry scene, which includes architects, musicians, software and game developers, designers and advertisers, have wanted a place to meet.

Now the "House of Creativity and Innovation" is taking shape as the center of an important industry for Hesse: Since the beginning of July, the Bethmann family of banks has let the Bethmannhof, in the immediate vicinity of Frankfurt's Paulskirche, be used by the business development agency for an initial period of six months.

Daniel Schleidt

Coordinator of the economics department in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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In the building at Bethmannstraße 7-9, from which the traditional Bethmann-Bank moved out in 2018 - the building has been largely empty since then - as many events as possible are to be held by the end of the year.

The aim is to recruit tenants for the future creative house, who should assume the majority of the running costs for the location.

8000 square meters of floor space for creative people

"We are aiming for long-term use of the entire building," said Wolfgang Weyand, first chairman of the Hessian creative industry cluster Cluk, in which several associations from the scene have joined forces.

Since it was founded in 2011, there has been a desire for a home for the industry.

The traditional building has an overall floor space of 8,000 square meters, of which 2,100 square meters are available for temporary use.

There is also a spacious inner courtyard, which is intended to be used for events, particularly during the warmer months;

The Creative Week beginning on September 26th is to be the prelude to this.

In the basement there is a developed wine cellar, there are also lockers and vaults.

But whether it is possible to turn the Bethmannhof into a House of Creativity not only temporarily but permanently depends on the financing.

By the end of the year, solo self-employed and companies in the industry should be found to move into the premises of the former bank.

The rents should bring in 70 to 80 percent of future costs.

Bethmannhof is intended to revitalize the inner city

Shortly after taking office in September 2021, Economics Department Head Stephanie Wüst (FDP) made the search for a creative house the focus of her work.

The Bethmannhof is now the next step.

"We want to show the importance of the creative economy and do it justice," she says.

Even if creative locations are often found in peripheral areas, the exposed location of the Bethmannhof promises radiance beyond the creative sector.

Events could help to revitalize the area around the Paulskirche.

According to Cluk board member Weyand, in addition to entrepreneurs, member associations of the cluster and universities should also move in there.

According to Oliver Schwebel, who campaigned for the Bethmannhof as managing director of the Frankfurt Economic Development Agency, the creative space office that detects vacancies and makes them usable for the industry should also be located in the Bethmannhof.

A photo, a sound and a streaming studio are conceivable.

The owner let the business development agency use the building free of charge until the end of the year, the municipal company only has to pay for the additional costs.

"We want to build something sustainable here," says Wüst, who is the chairwoman of the supervisory board for economic development.

Creative industries employ 127,000 people in Hesse

Rental models are now being developed for this, and it will also be discussed which conversions would be necessary in the event of long-term use and who will bear the costs.

In principle, however, the former Bethmann Bank is ready to move into immediately, as is Claudio Montanini, second chairman of the Cluk.

According to City Councilor Wüst, the house, which the makers want to have abbreviated to "Hoci" and pronounced "Hotschi", should not be an island reserved for creative people, but a permeable place.

After all, creative people could have a positive influence on other industries, "now we need allies to maintain the location".

The creative industries often go under the radar of the public because they unite many smaller sectors under one roof, but it is definitely significant for Hessen.

Most recently, the industry with 127,000 employees in 21,500 companies nationwide had a turnover of around 14.2 billion euros.

In order to offer the players a contact point, similar to the House of Finance or the House of Logistics and Mobility, representatives of the industry had repeatedly looked at similar concepts in other metropolises;

Before the local elections last year, the ten business associations of the Cluk launched a manifesto, according to which Frankfurt needs such a creative center in order to develop successfully in the long term.

After all, creativity accelerates change processes and ensures sustainable growth,

The creative cluster had previously been interested in the Paradieshof in Sachsenhausen, but previous concepts had always failed.

A new chapter is now being opened with the Bethmannhof - also for the building itself, which was built in 1895, then rebuilt after being damaged in the Second World War and has been the headquarters of the Bethmann Bank ever since.

This was bought by the Dutch bank ABN Amro in 2004, and the move to the Marienturm took place in 2018.