By Xavier Malkus
In the long-standing legal dispute over the colorful facade of the “Happy Go Lucky Hotel & Hostel” in Charlottenburg, the Higher Administrative Court has made a final judgment: the house painting must go.
In 2016, the Irish artist Dom Brown decorated the facade of the hotel on Stuttgarter Platz with smileys, hearts and a stylized lettering with the name of the hostel. The regulatory office did not like that at all. It ordered a redesign of the facade.
It wasn’t the first argument about the colorful hostel facade. Hotel owner Alexander Skora and the district had already clashed in 2012 after the facade was redesigned.
“Because you could still read the name of the old hotel, we put our name on it in the same size,” says the hotel owner.
The regulatory office saw this as unauthorized advertising and demanded its removal. A legal dispute ensued, which resulted in the redesign. The district did not like the colorful work of art by the Irish artist that was then attached either.
The owner appealed against the decision to remove the facade design through several instances. Now the Higher Administrative Court has finally ordered the removal. An appeal against the judgment is no longer possible.
Hotel owner Alexander Skora now has to paint the building beige or gray like the neighboring houses. If he does not comply with the request, the painting will be removed by a company commissioned by the city. Skora should bear the costs in any case.
quarrel continues
The dispute over the colorful facade will probably not come to an end quickly even after it has been painted over. Because: The American Alan Wolan, CEO of GoGorillaMedia.com, has acquired all exploitation rights to the work of art by Dom Browne.
Hotel owner Skora has already announced possible claims for damages by the new owner – including before American courts.