Frankfurt Alumni Video's video: In and Around the Abrams Building 2014 Frankfurt Germany

Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr. (September 15, 1914 – September 4, 1974) was a General in the United States Army who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968–72, which saw U.S. troop strength in Vietnam fall from a peak of 543,000 to 49,000. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1972 until shortly before his death in 1974. In honor of Abrams, the U.S. Army named the XM1 main battle tank, the M1 Abrams. The IG Farben building, also known formerly as The Abrams Building, was also named after him from 1975 to 1995. The IG Farben Building or the Poelzig Building was built from 1928 to 1930, as the corporate headquarters of the IG Farben conglomerate in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is also known as the Poelzig Ensemble or Poelzig Complex, and previously as the IG Farben Complex, and the General Creighton W. Abrams Building. The building's original design was the subject of a competition which was eventually won by the architect Hans Poelzig. After WWII, the IG Farben Building served as the headquarters for the Supreme Allied Command, and from 1949 to 1952, the High Commissioner for Germany (HICOG) On its completion, the complex was the largest office building in Europe and remained so until the 1950's. The IG Farben Building's six square wings retain a modern, spare elegance, despite its mammoth size. It is also notable for its Paternoster Elevators. It became the principal location for implementing the Marshall Plan, which largely financed the post-war reconstruction of Europe. The state apparatus of the Federal German Government was devised there. The IG Farben Building served as the headquarters for the US Army's V Corps and the Northern Area Command (NACOM) until 1995. The US Army returned control of the IG Farben Building to the German government in 1995. It was purchased on behalf of the University of Frankfurt by the state of Hesse, which committed €25 million to the restoration. In recognition of the original architect, the University renamed the main building the Poelzig Building (Poelzig-Bau), and its ancillary buildings and surroundings the Poelzig Complex (Poelzig Ensemble). The restoration work started in March 1998, and the formal reopening as the Poelzig-Bau was celebrated on October 26, 2001. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creighton_W._Abrams http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IG_Farben_Building