My heart skipped a beat when I found these photos of a converted 1950's Gas station were found over at Freunde von freunden. The home in Schöneberg, Berlin was brought and converted by gallery owner Juerg Judin after 13 years of admiring it from afar....
How long have you had the gas station?
I bought it in 2005, but the first time I saw it was in 1992. It had already been on the market for seven years, unused. A ‘For Sale’ sign with a phone number hung in the window. I photographed the place almost every time I was in Berlin, documenting its slow decay. Here was this somewhat sad useless construction in a perfect central location – it fascinated me and somehow called to me: do something with me!
You had been taking photos of the building for quite a while. Why did you wait so long to buy it?
At the time, I was commuting between London and Zurich. In 1992, I spent a wonderful summer in Berlin for a film production and fell in love with the city. After that, I started coming here regularly and going past the Station. One day, after 13 years, the for-sale sign was suddenly gone. I thought, Oh God, someone bought my gas station.
Then what?
Then it turned out that the sign had simply fallen down; the Gas Station was still to be had. At that point, I knew, Okay, that was probably a wake-up call.
To read more about Jour.'s home and see more photos visit Freunde von Freunden
