The Haus Cumberland (simply translated as Cumberland House) is a Grade II listed building on the

Kurfürstendamm The Kurfürstendamm (; colloquially , ; ) is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former (prince-electors) of Brandenburg. The broad, long boulevard can be considered the of Berlin and is lined with s ...

avenue between Bleibtreu and Schlüterstraße in

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. It was built in 1911, and has served as a hotel and as headquarters for several administrations. In 2011, the building was restored and converted to a commercial and residential building.

History

The building was initially designed to be an

apartment hotel An apartment hotel or aparthotel (also residential hotel or extended-stay hotel) is a serviced apartment complex that uses a hotel-style booking system. It is similar to renting an apartment, but with no fixed contracts and occupants can "check ...

in 1911 by (known for designing the

Hotel Adlon The Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is a luxury hotel in Berlin, Germany. It is on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the central Mitte district, at the corner with Pariser Platz, directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate. The original Hotel Adlon ...

Unter den Linden Unter den Linden (, "under the Tilia, linden trees") is a boulevard in the central Mitte (locality), Mitte district of Berlin, Germany. Running from the Berlin Palace to the Brandenburg Gate, it is named after the Tilia, linden trees (known ...

), and was later built the same year. The building was named for marketing reasons as ''Cumberland'', after

Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (; 21 September 1845 – 14 November 1923), was the eldest child and only son of George V of Hanover and his wife, Marie of Saxe-Altenburg. Ernest Augustus was dep ...

, 3rd

Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was held by junior members of the British royal family. It was named after the county of Cumberland in England, and after Teviotdale in Scotland. Held by the King ...

. The building was planned to be wide and in height, and contains three courtyards with

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

s, according to the plan. The complex covers around land area between

and Lietzenburger Straße 104–106. Many of the hotel suites were designed to be rented to domestic staff. This

business idea A business idea is a concept envisioned by individuals or teams that can be monetized through the delivery of products or services. Serving as the foundation for entrepreneurial ventures, a robust business idea is essential for the development an ...

later failed before the final opening of the building after the owner went into

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

. The

inventory Inventory (British English) or stock (American English) is a quantity of the goods and materials that a business holds for the ultimate goal of resale, production or utilisation. Inventory management is a discipline primarily about specifying ...

and furniture were later auctioned off. In 1914, the building temporarily housed the Waffen und Munitionsbeschaffungsamt (Arms and Ammunition Procurement Office (Wumba)). In the same year, it was converted to a

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

, rebuilt with 700 beds. After the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the building housed the main post office building. From 1920, it housed the Ministry of Economics, theatres and cinemas. Since 1936, it housed various offices for tax authorities. From 1966 to 2003, the Berliner Oberfinanzdirektion (Berlin Regional Finance) offices were located in the building. Since then, the building has been empty, except for shops on the ground floor. In 2004, the Haus Cumberland was renamed for a short period of time as the ''Cumberland Hotel Brecker'' for the film ''

The Bourne Supremacy ''The Bourne Supremacy'' is the second Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum, first published in 1986. It is the sequel to Ludlum's bestseller '' The Bourne Identity'' (1980) and precedes Ludlum's final Bourne novel, '' The Bourne Ultim ...

''. In 2005, it was temporarily the

film set A set is artificially constructed scenery used in film and television. In the last two cases there are many reasons to build or use a set instead of travelling to a real location, such as budget, time, the need to control the environment, or the ...

for a

ZDF ZDF (), short for (; ), is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany ( ...

television series. In 2006, the

ORCO The Orco (, that is lit. ''Water of gold''; ) is an Italian river. It originates in the Piedmontese slopes of Gran Paradiso and after about reaches the Po river near Chivasso, in the Metropolitan City of Turin. Its drainage basin is home to th ...

group announced that it had bought the building for from the owners of the state of Berlin and the federal government. ORCO initially planned to build a luxury hotel and luxury shopping mall. On 13 May 2011, there was a major fire in the attic of the building, and two construction workers and a fire-fighter were slightly injured. The fire also damaged the left side of the roof, causing that section to fall in. The dome of the first courtyard, which was made of galvanized steel, also collapsed.Der Tagesspiegel
Fire news. Retrieved 11 October 2012. The fire was accidentally triggered during the renovation work.
On September 14, 2013, the official handover of Haus Cumberland was celebrated. The housing complex for 500 residents includes 166 freehold apartments and 17 penthouses.

References

{{coord, 52, 30, 3, N, 13, 19, 1, E, type:landmark_region:DE-BE_source:dewiki, display=title Buildings and structures in Berlin Buildings and structures completed in 1911 1911 establishments in Germany