The marble plaque which covered the foundation stone was still intact and had the date of March 26, 1968 on it. „For me, the foundation stone was like the soul of the building“, said Kaiser during a press meeting at the building site. With a detective-like attitude he was determined to find the exact location again, using old photographs, because it wasn’t drawn into the building plans.

A 2.5-meter strong base made from especially strong concrete, that the diggers are currently trying to remove, gave the last hint. The concrete cover of the foundation stone was separated from the ground plate by a layer of sand, which meant it could be lifted up by the digger arm.

The first surprise came when the marble lid was removed: The capsule was embedded in concrete and needed to be freed with some force. „That wasn't done in my presence“, said the 75-year-old. He needed to be patient before he could hold up the capsule like a world cup.

Kaiser remembers where federal minister for economy, Karl Schiller, stood on the day and promised a „hint of Manhattan“ to the Bonn people, which was fairly untypical for the rather modest city of Bonn. The architect was 26 years old when he became local site manager of the Bonn-Center.

Despite „bad luck and mishaps“ during the construction of the high-rise building he watched its demolition wistfully from the roof of the WCCB parking lot. What only he could spot as an expert: The base of the Mercedes star, which was the Bonn-Center trademark, lay on top of the mountain of rubble like a cherry on a cake.

In the meantime though, all that was removed. What you cannot see from the street: The ground plate is being broken up and in the pit the rubble is mounting high, mixed with structural steel. The demolition will take approximately four more weeks. Original text: Bettina Köhl Translation: Mareike Graepel