Villa Gruter

Reviving a historic monument

“The Heidener Straße 41 building, a two-storey solid building with a flat pitched hipped roof and full basement, in the inner structure and in the construction period details from around 1900, is worth a monument. The exterior of the villa built in late classical style shows a brown-yellow facing stone, plaster architectural details and renewed brick covering. The monument also includes the podium with a balustrade in front of the front door, which was added in 1925.
Decorative tiles are laid in the ground floor corridor, and next to the stairs, a simpler floor mosaic with framing. The rooms facing the street and the central corridor are richly detailed with stuccoed ceiling rosettes, and there is also stucco in one room based on 18th century models. The two-level wooden staircase at the time of construction comprises a railing with a close sequence of profile bars, plus an elaborate entry post.” (List of monuments A IV — residential and commercial buildings)

A monument has a story to tell, from the time it was built to the present day — about the former inhabitants, about events surrounding the building. It surprises and reveals secrets sometimes and only gradually.

You can feel this when you stand in front of the building, but especially when you experience the days and nights inside.

The challenge for us was to accept the building as it is. Structural changes are only possible to a small extent in order to preserve the character. For example, the building was completely renovated in 2 ½ years and restored in line with the protection of historical monuments.

Now it is once again the building that structurally embodies the spirit of optimism, drive and opportunities of that time. It is part of the textile history of the city of Borken, which has shaped the image and the people for a long time.