William O. Darby Kaserne (english)

William O. Darby Kaserne

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Widmungsurkunde der William O. Darby Kaserne, März 1949

Karte der Kaserne, Stand 1995

After World War II, the U.S. Army continued to use the grounds of the former Artilleriekaserne (including Infanteriekaserne and Trainkaserne) in Fürth's southern district. In March 1949, it was renamed "William O. Darby Barracks".

History

Blick in den heutigen Südstadtpark

Zahlreiche militärische Gebäude wurden in hochwertigen Wohnraum umgebaut.

Der Xylokastroplatz von der Sonnenstraße aus gesehen, links und hinten ehemalige Militärgebäude

Zahlreiche militärische Gebäude wurden in hochwertigen Wohnraum umgebaut - "Merkuresplanade".

Der heutige Marmarisplatz mit ehemaligen Kasernengebäuden

The first unit to move into the barracks was the 26th Infantry Regiment, belonging to the 1st US Infantry Division, on July 25, 1945. In 1954, this regiment was replaced by elements of the 4th US Armored Division. After the latter's disbandment, the 1st US Armored Division took over William O. Darby Barracks on May 10, 1971. Other individual units were also stationed there:

• 1st Battalion of the 94th Field Artillery with heavy howitzers
• 793rd MP Battalion (Military Police)
• 511th Military Counterintelligence Service
• 240th Supply Company
• 42nd Maintenance Company (1979 transferred to Johnson Barracks)

In addition, there was the DIVENG (divisional maintenance command) of the 1st Armored Division, its deputy commander and a Paymaster's office. In the 1970s, the barracks employed 3,300 people. Naturally, renovations took place during this time to adapt the barracks to US requirements. The sports hall, now known as the Grüne Halle, was built during this period. A chapel was established in a former stable building, and a transmission tower for the American Forces Network (AFN) was erected in 1952 to broadcast radio and television programs. This tower was replaced in 1993. South of the barracks, a residential area for soldiers and their families, known as the "Kalb Housing Area," was built; this is now the Kalbsiedlung district. In addition to sports facilities, it also included a laundry, a high school, a kindergarten, and other infrastructure. A shopping center for members of the U.S. Army was also built on Waldstraße.

The end of the U.S. troop presence began on October 27, 1994, when the U.S. Army announced it would be vacating the barracks in the southern part of the city. The American flag (Stars and Stripes) was lowered for the last time on December 19, 1995. However, the land on which the AFN transmission tower stood remained U.S. property for some time afterward. The grounds of the William O. Darby Barracks were transferred from the Federal Republic of Germany to the city of Fürth on September 18, 1998. Subsequently, the former military area was transformed into the Südstadtpark (South City Park) by 2004. The last relic of the US occupation, the AFN transmission tower, was dismantled in May and June 2008.

Conversion

Gebiet der ehemaligen Infanteriekaserne im Jahre 1995

Gebiet der ehemaligen Infanteriekaserne im Jahre 2005

On October 27, 1994, the U.S. Army announced that the barracks in the southern part of the city would be vacated. The Star-Spangled Banner was lowered for the last time on December 19, 1995. After the U.S. forces vacated the site in 1995, a limited urban planning ideas competition was held the following year to initiate the conversion process. In February 1996, the city of Fürth launched an urban planning ideas competition for the vacated barracks, which covered approximately 42 hectares. The competition brief included: integration into the overall city, "structures" (uses, landscaped 8-hectare urban park), and the arrangement of approximately 200 apartments as part of the "Offensive Zukunft Bayern, Siedlungsmodelle" subsidy program (Bavaria Future Initiative, Settlement Models), with "townhouses" being recommended. In November 1996, first prize was awarded to Pesch & Partner, who (quote) offered "clear, calm building and open space structures" and a striking, strictly geometric form for the Südstadtpark (South City Park).

The concept, with its listed buildings and their architectural additions, offers (quote) "by far the greatest qualities." The listed buildings were to be, and largely were, integrated and complemented by new urban quarters, thus creating a wide range of housing options. The ideal of a dialogue between historical buildings and contemporary architecture was subsequently achieved successfully in many cases, though not all. Initially, emphasis was placed on a contrast between the new and old buildings; the new buildings were intended to have different roof shapes, with flatter roofs being planned. However, this was not fully realized later on. Very inexpensive, but correspondingly narrow, terraced houses were built. Before 2005, a three-story terraced house with a 120 sq m plot and 150 sq m living space was sold for only 180,000 Euro, thus attracting buyers who would otherwise have purchased an apartment.

The competition was followed in 1997 by the development of an urban planning framework plan. At the beginning of 1998, the city and the federal government contractually agreed that the federal government would provide 30% (2004: 35%) of the land free of charge for parks and streets. In addition, the federal government would pay the city a fixed amount from the sales proceeds (commercial use: €43/m², residential use: €115/m²). The William O. Darby Kaserne site was transferred from the Federal Republic of Germany to the ownership of the city of Fürth on September 18, 1998. In 2001 the first new buildings could be occupied. Buildings 7, 12A, 17, 17A, 18, 21, 23A, 25, 28, 29, 30, 33A/B/C, 37, 48, 92, and 99 were torn down in the area of the infantry barracks. The site where the AFN transmission tower stood (transmission tower: building no. 99; operations building: no. 33B/C) remained under US ownership somewhat longer than the rest of the conversion area. The AFN transmission tower was dismantled in May and June of 2008.

In two properties sold by the Federal Property Office at Steubenstraße 13, the clubhouse and mosque of the Turkish Islamic Cultural Center Fürth e. V. have been located since November 2000. Newly constructed as part of the conversion are the terraced houses at Kellermannstraße 6-24 and 26-120 (even numbers), as well as Dr.-Meyer-Spreckels-Straße 2a/b/c (detached houses), 7a/b, 9a/b (semi-detached houses), 6 to 38 (even numbers, terraced houses), and Flößaustraße 66 to 74 (even numbers, terraced houses).

Radio tower

William O. Darby Kaserne, Demontage des früheren Sendemastes der U.S. Army

The U.S. Army erected a transmission tower on the grounds of the William O. Darby Kaserne shortly after World War II, initially for radio broadcasting, and later for television broadcasting as well. Until 1961, the tower, constructed of American pitch pine, stood on the site of the Hotel-Pyramide, before being moved to its current location behind Steubenstraße. In 1961, a steel transmission tower was built, which remained in operation until 1993. The U.S. Army replaced the tower one last time, this time with an 89-meter-high concrete structure. The transmission tower primarily served the U.S. armed forces, but also their families, for receiving American radio and television broadcasts. After the withdrawal of the U.S. forces, the tower initially remained unused, hindering the redevelopment of the property. It was only in May 2008 that the property developer P&P Wohnbau Franken GmbH, who had acquired the 6,000 square meter plot and wanted to develop it further, had the transmission tower dismantled using a mobile crane.

The namesake William O. Darby

William Orlando Darby was a U.S. Army officer. Born on February 9, 1911, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1933. Darby initially served as a staff officer before being tasked in 1942 with forming a special forces unit, the Darby Rangers. With this unit, he participated in combat in North Africa during World War II and later took part in the landings in Sicily and at Anzio in Italy. Having been transferred to the 10th Mountain Division, he was killed by a German shell on April 30, 1945, near Torbole on Lake Garda. He was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General.

Literature

• 10 Jahre Konversion: Der Fürther Weg, Stadt Fürth, 2005
• Sternenbanner und Kleeblatt, Bernd Jesussek, 1996
• »Little America«. Militär und Kasernen von 1945 - 1995. In: Auf in den Süden! Geschichte der Fürther Südstadt, 2017, Sandberg Verlag, ISBN 978-930699-94-0, S. 78 - 99
• Überraschende Jahrhundertaufgabe. Konversion! Die Südstadt verändert ihr Gesicht. In: Auf in den Süden! Geschichte der Südstadt, 2017, Sandberg Verlag, ISBN 978-930699-94-0, S. 100 - 117
• Bernd Jesussek: Die Amerikaner in Fürth 1945 - 1995, Ausstellungskatalog, 2018, 59 S.

See also

• Die Amerikaner in Fürth
• Kasernenbahn
• Truppenübungsplatz Hainberg
• Johnson Barracks
• Monteith Barracks
• Südstadtpark
• Jewish Chapel
• AFN
• Stage 13
• Offiziers-Speiseanstalt (ehem. Forty Niner Club)
• U.S.-Tankstellen

Weblinks

• Nuremberg Military Community: Historische Fotos der Kaserne (englisch)
• Nuremberg Military Community: Fotos der Kaserne (englisch)
• Karte der William O. Darby Kaserne mit der angeschlossenen Kalb Housing Area
• Joachim Krauße: William O. Darby Kaserne Fürth. Vortrag vom 2. Oktober 2014 auf dem Erlanger Symposium "Militärkonversion gestern - heute - morgen"
• Aufsatz von Dr. Alexander Mayer zur William O. Darby Kaserne
• Artikel auf den Internetseiten der Stadt Fürth
• 10 Jahre Konversion - Der Fürther Weg (Seiten 1-45)
• 10 Jahre Konversion - Der Fürther Weg (Seiten 46-91)
• 10 Jahre Konversion - Der Fürther Weg (Seiten 92-Ende)

Photos

(See German Site)