Kennedyplatz - Essen, Germany - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

"Kennedyplatz
Kennedyplatz, first called Gildenplatz, is not an evolved square in Essen's city center, but the result of war and reconstruction. The Second World War almost completely destroyed the old city center. 93 percent of the area was a field of rubble.

In order to create new retail space, the city administration erected temporary storefronts. On the site of what later became Kennedyplatz, which had originally been built on, single-story store buildings were leased starting in March 1949.

In the immediate vicinity of Ladenstrasse, Amerika-Haus Ruhr opened its doors on February 22, 19 52 (architect: Hermann Gehrung, facade reliefs: Herbert Lungwitz). With its lending library, lectures and exhibitions, it served to acquaint the population with American culture.

In 1953, the surroundings of the Amerika-Haus changed. City planners envisioned new open spaces for Essen during reconstruction. One of the centerpieces was the newly created Gildenplatz , for which the Ladenstraße had to make way. The naming of the square was intended to emphasize the tradition of the burghers and merchants in Essen.

In the mid-1950s, a typical metropolitan development of its time was built around Gildenplatz and Amerika-Haus: the Allbauhaus (architect Willy Maximilian Schneider, 1954-56), the high-rise building on Gildenplatz (architects Wilhelm and Hans Eggeling, 1955) and the Heroldhaus (architect Emil Jung, 1954-55). The latter in particular features elements of modern architecture: a sculptural grid facade and a fully glazed store zone.

After the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the square was renamed. The following year, however, it lost its American point of reference: the Amerika-Haus closed and became city property. It was subsequently used as a municipal administration building, exhibition venue, bookstore, restaurant and theater. Since 1994, it has operated as Europa-Haus."
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