Friday, July 28, 2006
Assignment #9: from Tempelhof tour - July 28, 2006
II-BC-31-0
This is a photograph taken at the Zentral Flughafen – the Tempelhof Airport. The airport opened in 1923, with simply a wooden administration building and two wooden hangars. A major expansion occurred between 1924 and 1927. Although Soviet troops occupied the airport in April of 1945, the Americans took over the airport in July of that same year.
I have visited this airport three times, and each time grew to appreciate it a bit more. The first time I saw it, I just thought it was ugly. The second time I visited, I still thought it was ugly, but enjoyed some features on the inside, particularly the sign on the restaurant (see next photo). During my third visit, I became more aware of details. Instead of photographing large views of the airport – which is an overwhelming structure – I looked for smaller pieces.
This photograph was taken of a wall on the South side of the front driveway. It is full of details and raises many questions. What does II-BC-31-0 represent? Is it a numbered storage area? Or perhaps, at some point in history, did it lead to a top secret area? When was this area of the airport built? It is clear that electricity was connected to this site at some point – but for what purpose? Lights, alarm, something else? It appears that patchwork and maintenance were performed here numerous times. At what point were the electrical features removed and the maintenance no longer necessary? I suspect a very long time ago.
Behind each door, and in fact behind each stone brink, there is a story. Although this building did not appeal to me at first sight, I am still curious about its history.
This is a photograph taken at the Zentral Flughafen – the Tempelhof Airport. The airport opened in 1923, with simply a wooden administration building and two wooden hangars. A major expansion occurred between 1924 and 1927. Although Soviet troops occupied the airport in April of 1945, the Americans took over the airport in July of that same year.
I have visited this airport three times, and each time grew to appreciate it a bit more. The first time I saw it, I just thought it was ugly. The second time I visited, I still thought it was ugly, but enjoyed some features on the inside, particularly the sign on the restaurant (see next photo). During my third visit, I became more aware of details. Instead of photographing large views of the airport – which is an overwhelming structure – I looked for smaller pieces.
This photograph was taken of a wall on the South side of the front driveway. It is full of details and raises many questions. What does II-BC-31-0 represent? Is it a numbered storage area? Or perhaps, at some point in history, did it lead to a top secret area? When was this area of the airport built? It is clear that electricity was connected to this site at some point – but for what purpose? Lights, alarm, something else? It appears that patchwork and maintenance were performed here numerous times. At what point were the electrical features removed and the maintenance no longer necessary? I suspect a very long time ago.
Behind each door, and in fact behind each stone brink, there is a story. Although this building did not appeal to me at first sight, I am still curious about its history.
