Zurich: AXA Winterthur completes renovation on Bahnhofstrasse

AXA Winterthur acquired the listed building at Bahnhofstrasse 53 from Credit Suisse in 2012. The conversion and renovation work, which was planned by architect Tilla Theus, began in 2014 in consultation with the conservation authorities. A total area of around 9,000 square meters was created, a third of which was for sales and gastronomy on the ground floor and basement. Office space will be located on the 1st to 6th floors. The commercial law firm Niederer Kraft & Frey will move into the upper floors of the building in spring 2018 with around 170 employees.

Two previous tenants, Visilab and Massimo Dutti, are returning to Bahnhofstrasse 53. Temporary solutions have been found for them in recent years. The clothing brand COS opens its flagship store in the former bank counter hall and vault. Thanks to a connection in the basement, Coop City is expanding its food department from the existing St. Annahof department store on Bahnhofstrasse. Together with the Ornellaia winery, the Bindella Group is also welcoming guests to its new restaurant on Pelikanstrasse. The building is therefore already fully let. The stores will open at the end of fall 2017 and the restaurant in spring 2018.

"At Bahnhofstrasse 53, we are showing that historic buildings can also be an attractive environment for tenants," explains Ernst Schaufelberger, Head Real Estate at AXA. The original character of the building as a bank has been preserved, and the counter hall and vault are still prominent features of the building. "The space was already let a year before the opening," says Schaufelberger.