Founding C/O Berlin started as a private initiative in 2000. The "c/o" in its name stands for the postal abbreviation "
care of" and references the former Royal Post Office (
Postfuhramt) in the
Mitte district of
Berlin, where C/O Berlin celebrated its first public show with a retrospective on the photo agency
magnum.
Linienstraße When
Deutsche Post leased the
Postfuhramt in 2001, C/O Berlin moved into a former foundry at Linienstraße 144 in the Berlin district of Mitte. Up until 2006, in a space of around 1000 m2 across four floors, C/O Berlin presented exhibitions with works by
René Burri,
Barbara Klemm,
James Nachtwey,
Gilles Peress,
Margaret Bourke-White, and
Tom Wood, among others.
Postfuhramt After years of vacancy,
Deutsche Post sold the
Postfuhramt to a private investor. The founders of C/O Berlin were able to convince them to temporarily use part of the building. In June 2006, C/O Berlin relocated back to the Postfuhramt. During the following years, C/O Berlin presented numerous solo exhibitions in the space of around 1800 m2, including
Sibylle Bergemann, Larry Clark,
Gregory Crewdson, Leonard Freed,
Nan Goldin,
Thomas Hoepker,
Annie Leibovitz,
Peter Lindbergh,
Robert Mapplethorpe,
Arnold Newman,
Martin Parr, and
Bettina Rheims. The sale of the building to a Berlin-based biotech company ended C/O Berlin's temporary use of the premises. On March 9, 2013, C/O Berlin bid farewell to the Mitte district of Berlin with a big party.
Amerika Haus With support from the
Berlin Senate Department for Culture, C/O Berlin was able to sign a long-term rental contract at
Amerika Haus as sole proprietor on December 12, 2012. Amerika Haus was built in 1956/57 based on a sketch by SOM Chicago and plans by the architect Bruno Grimmek. With its library, movie theater, and exhibition spaces, It served as a center for culture and information for the
United States in Berlin until 2006. The renovation of the historic building was made possible under the direction of the architecture firm B19 Holger Sack. After 18 months C/O Berlin was able to reopen as an exhibition space for photography at its new location in Amerika Haus on October 30, 2014. In 2015, C/O Berlin received the
Association of German Architects' BDA Award Berlin for its sensitive renovation and revitalization of Amerika Haus. ==Exhibitions==