On the occasion of the 200-years anniversary of the guild-privileges the merchant guild in 1797 decided on the erection of a retirement home for merchant widows. By a royal concession of January 9th, 1797 this became this eventide home relievedly of contributions, billetings and other civil burdens from the start. In the same year already the guild purchased the property no. 696/697 at the Brückentor which later was Börsenstraße 10/11 at a price of 1000 Taler from the merchant S c h m e l i n g. A 124 Fuß long solid building was already built at this site in the same year for which roughly 6000 Taler were used. It contained six apartments of two rooms each and looked quite stately; because the town approved, that it is set with the long side to the Börsenstraße because thus "it makes more ornament to the street".

A new building and the moving of the retirement home was planned already in 1825 because the house became strongly ramshackle, and for repairs considerable remedies permanently necessary. But the foundation was not able to think of a new building before 1877. The site Grünestraße at the corner of Lazarettstraße was bought from the merchant G e r l a c h 's widow for an amount of 10 500 Mark. Here the building became erected which still exists at that place. It contains twice as much flats as the formerly eventide home. The building costs amounted to about 52 000 marks of which 28 000 marks were from the sale of the old property in the Börsenstraße.

The foundation's assets has been lost by the inflation. Within the last years the home was kept running by resources of the chamber of industry and commerce.