After intensive and constructive talks, Helaba, Frankfurter Sparkasse and the City of Frankfurt have reached an agreement to implement the Culture Mile concept. Under this agreement, Helaba and Frankfurter Sparkasse will provide the city with a leasehold on a plot of land on Neue Mainzer Strasse, which will serve as the site for a new playhouse. The site, which is about 5500 square meters in size and is currently occupied by the main building of Frankfurter Sparkasse, will be made available to the city for a period of 199 years. The terms include a one-time payment of 35 million euros and an annual lease of 1.99 million euros.
Thanks to this agreement, the implementation of the Kulturmeile, consisting of an opera on Willy-Brandt-Platz and a playhouse on Neue Mainzer Straße, will be possible. The key points agreement, which was recorded as a memorandum of understanding, was signed by the City of Frankfurt, Helaba and Frankfurter Sparkasse.
Mayor Mike Josef expressed his satisfaction with the location decision for the Städtische Bühnen and thanked the negotiating partners for their trust and the successful talks. He emphasized that the Schauspiel project also spares the ramparts.
Culture and Science Department Head Ina Hartwig described the agreement as a unique opportunity for Frankfurt and praised the interlocutors for their constructive negotiations. She sees the agreement as an opportunity to create an architectural highlight for the Schauspiel on the Neue Mainzer Straße site and emphasized the sustainable and promising solution that the Kulturmeile represents.
Thomas Groß, CEO of Helaba, emphasized the importance of forward-looking projects such as the Kulturmeile and was pleased with the agreement reached, which advances the development of Frankfurt as a cultural location and represents a financially satisfactory solution for Helaba. The Chairman of the Board of Frankfurter Sparkasse, Dr. Ingo Wiedemeier, also welcomed the initiative of the city and sees the opportunity to attractively develop the site in a central location.
The implementation of the Culture Mile requires the demolition of the main building of Frankfurter Sparkasse. The southern part of the site will be home to the new Schauspielhaus theater, while the northern part, which will continue to be owned by the Helaba Group, can become a building ensemble with a high-rise in which parts of the listed buildings can be integrated. At up to 160 meters, the height of the new high-rise site is intended to blend in harmoniously with the existing high-rise buildings Japan Center (115 meters) and Central Business Tower (205 meters). The floor area of the northern part of the site will remain at 63,500 square meters in accordance with the current development plan.
The city of Frankfurt would act as the developer of the new playhouse and is planning an international architectural competition for particularly sustainable, open and future-oriented buildings. An elongated plaza between the Japan Center and the new Schauspielhaus would better connect the Wallanlage and the city center.
The construction sequence calls for the new Schauspielhaus on Neue Mainzer Strasse to be built first and, once completed, to serve as an interim venue for the opera until the new opera house on Willy-Brandt-Platz is finished. This will allow the larger and more cost-intensive opera to be realized on its own land at Willy-Brandt-Platz. Care will be taken to ensure that the implementation of the new buildings on Neue Mainzer Strasse does not involve development of the current embankment. The demolition of the existing buildings could begin in 2027.
