A Gas Station Becomes an Artist's Home in Berlin

• November 6th 2009

by Mark Wellborn

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Last Friday, we told you about a church that was for sale in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The idea is that some creative mind will buy it and turn it into a home.

This week we up the ante a bit. A recent piece in The New York Times tells the story of an art collector in Berlin who finally bought an old gas station that he had long admired and turned it into his primary residence.

Juerg Judin bought the station in 2005 and spent three years renovating it, according to The Times. However, before the renovation could begin, the site needed to be decontaminated, which meant that the gasoline tanks needed to be filled with sand, and the old foundation cleaned of coal. Judin then expanded the space by 3,200 square feet, which included the creation of a 100 square-meter studio and exhibition space and transforming the former auto shop into a high-end kitchen. Judin also spent about $500,000 creating a rather unique garden.

From The Times:

“Hidden behind a two-meter wall, there is a pond lit by underwater lights, abundant bamboo growing around the property’s perimeter and flowers poking up through gravel in the front yard. The station’s old concrete canopy, which once hovered above the gas pumps, sweeps up and over an outdoor sitting area like an oversized sculpture, its legs and trim painted red.”

Judin originally thought that he would eventually give the space to the artists he represents, but according to The Times, he is having trouble letting go.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/a_gas_station_becomes_an_artists_home_in_berlin/1489.