Exterior view: Hotel Frankfurt InterContinental
Title
Exterior view: Hotel Frankfurt InterContinental
Description
The Hotel Frankfurt InterContinental was built in 1963 on the site of the former park facing the promenade known as the Nizza, a four-acre Mediterranean garden that runs alongside the river Main. At the time of the hotel’s construction, Frankfurt was becoming a major international city for banking, but with few
options in the way of accommodations for business travelers.
For its first hotel on the Continent, Pan-Am opted for a bold statement that would reflect the company’s new international outlook. A slim rectangular block with ends that terminate in a v-shape like the prow of a ship, the Frankfurt Intercontinental floated above the water like a modern cruise liner. Light and transparency were afforded by continuous horizontal bands of windows that wrapped around the building’s exterior. Airy in feeling, its appearance belies the fact that at its opening, the Intercontinental became Europe’s largest hotel. It was
built by the German partnership of Apel and Beckert, the same architects who had been commissioned to design the new Oper Frankfurt, an arts building complex.
Interiors designed by Neal Prince.
options in the way of accommodations for business travelers.
For its first hotel on the Continent, Pan-Am opted for a bold statement that would reflect the company’s new international outlook. A slim rectangular block with ends that terminate in a v-shape like the prow of a ship, the Frankfurt Intercontinental floated above the water like a modern cruise liner. Light and transparency were afforded by continuous horizontal bands of windows that wrapped around the building’s exterior. Airy in feeling, its appearance belies the fact that at its opening, the Intercontinental became Europe’s largest hotel. It was
built by the German partnership of Apel and Beckert, the same architects who had been commissioned to design the new Oper Frankfurt, an arts building complex.
Interiors designed by Neal Prince.
Creator
Apel, Otto
Beckert, Hannsgeorg
Contributor
Prince, Neal A.
Date
1963
Subject
Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts
Hotels--Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Rights
Neal A. Prince Special Collection & Archives, New York School of Interior Design, New York, NY, United States
Coverage
Frankfurt, Germany
Files
Collection
Citation
Apel, Otto and Beckert, Hannsgeorg , “Exterior view: Hotel Frankfurt InterContinental,” Designing the Luxury Hotel: Neal Prince and the Inter-Continental Brand, accessed April 20, 2024, https://nealprince.omeka.net/items/show/55.