Back into the vacant pension office: Dortmund decides in 2025!

The city of Dortmund has bought the former pension office on Rheinische Strasse, which has been empty for 13 years. The purchase was confirmed by the city of Dortmund on January 7, 2025. The future use of the building is still unclear, the city council will decide about it in 2025. In the past there have been several failed purchase projects. The Sparkasse Dortmund 2024 showed interest in the purchase, but withdrew due to high renovation costs.

A former scandal caused a sensation in the building: At the beginning of 2023, sensitive health records were found, which have been unnoticed there since the office moved out of the office. In a locked room, 9000 printed sheets from the 1970s and 1980s were discovered on one side, which came from the former pension office of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and once served as data backup. The authority was municipalized in 2008 and was then only responsible for Dortmund, Bochum and Hagen.

Current challenges and measures

The building, which was inaugurated in 1922 and survived the Second World War, largely undamaged, is entered as a monument in the monument list of the city of Dortmund. It has been empty since 2011 and has had several changes of ownership. A planned use as a hotel in 2020 was not implemented. The building is currently suffering from various damage, including graffiti, theft of the facility, arson, water damage and cable class.

The city has already contacted the current owner, Novum Real Estate Development GmbH. Peter Externbrink, the head of the pension office, announced that it would act immediately and to remedy the condition of the building. In collaboration with the NRW Ministry of Arbeep Arbeep Arbeits, the city of Dortmund plans to process the files found as quickly as possible in order to clarify the Situation and to ensure the handling of the sensitive documents.