Stratmanns Theater Europahaus

The Amerika Haus Ruhr is a Grade I listed building since 1991 in the Essen city center. It was built in the early 1950s by the Americans as America House and the first main base of their information network in selected cities. After the house 15 years later served as the seat of the mayor, since 1994, the cabaret Stratmanns located in the theater.

History

Amerika Haus

In 1951 to 1952, the Amerika Haus was built by architect Herman Gehrig in Essen, which was selected as a central city in the Ruhr for one of several main bases of the American intelligence network. The reliefs on the exterior walls designed by the Essenes artist Herbert Lung joke.

The official opening took place on February 22, 1952, the birthday of the first American President, George Washington, by the Minister President of North Rhine -Westphalia, Karl Arnold instead. Thus the Essenes Amerika Haus was the first in Europe to the purpose of the recovery of democratic culture and political education of the population served in post-war Germany exclusively. In addition there was a lending library, lecture rooms, and exhibit space. Only donations of American citizens financed the house and its upkeep.

Temporary City Hall

From 1953, the provisional business lines at the guild place on which the house stands America have been removed. In 1963, the open space was renamed after assassination of President John F. Kennedy after him. The Kennedy space was built before the destruction of the Second World War and therefore has no local historical origin. 1964 ended the U.S. House and was also called the Kennedy house. After demolition of the old town hall of Essen architect Peter Zindel it served as the seat of the Lord Mayor and the Town Clerk. Of the Essenes citizens it was therefore referred to the opening of the new City Hall on the Porscheplatz 1979, jokingly referred to as Rathäuschen.

Domestic industry form

Between 1979 and 1988 the building housed the collection of industrial design eV as a cottage industry form, which later became the Design Zentrum NRW was that the Red dot design museum operates today.

After the house was used only as a warehouse and temporary shop various stores.

Stratmanns Theater House of Europe

The former U.S. House was renovated and rebuilt from 1992 onwards, so that, since 1994 Europe called House, which opened Stratmanns theater as a cabaret.

The cabaret and general practitioners Ludger Stratmann opened together with his brother Christian Stratmann in December 1994 the Stratmann Stage Europe House, after they had for years been looking for a suitable place for a cabaret and the ramshackle building for 2.5 million euro renovation. Since July 1995 Ludger Stratmann occurs own stage with various cabaret programs under the slogan Doctor Stratmann - Humorous Medical cabaret on.

Christian Stratmann managed the house until the year 2003. Thereafter he withdrew in favor of the moon palace in Wanne- Eickel back. Since then, Ludger Stratmann leads the House, which also houses a restaurant, in-house.