Away from typical terraced housing you will find diverse types of buildings in the colony of Eving.
It is a workers’ town that represents the antithesis of the uniform terraced house construction: The old housing colony Eving in the north of Dortmund. There are eight different types of buildings dotted around among the around 80 houses here. This is mainly because the workers’ towns were constantly destroyed and rebuilt over the years. In addition to typical red brick façades, you will find timber-frame styles, rustic gardens and cheerful little towers.
Fancy home in the Ruhr Valley
The old housing colony Eving came into being between 1898 and 1900. For around 270 miners based at the “Vereinigte Stein und Hardenberg” Colliery in Dortmund, this became their new home near to their place of work. Life was fairly luxurious there for conditions at the time: Each home had the luxury of running water and stove heating, which was by no means a given at that time. It also had its own stable, its own garden and separate entrances to the homes. Even the rents were lower than elsewhere on the housing market in Dortmund. You did not have to be particularly wealthy to be able to afford a home here.
The changing face of the Dortmund mining town
Just like other mining towns, the old housing colony Eving was due to be another victim of the wrecking ball in the 1970s. However, the citizens opposed and successfully fought for the preservation of the diverse houses with an initiative.
The town was turned upside down once again at the International Architecture Exhibition Emscher Park that took place from 1989 to 1999 in the Ruhr Valley. The region was extensively redeveloped and used differently in cultural terms. Some of the buildings now even have a listed status.
The welfare building on Nollendorfplatz is still the centre of the old housing colony Eving today. Information signs on the history of the house and the workers’ town can be found there. The house is accessible for people with disabilities.
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