The "Vereinigte Welheim" colliery started operations here in 1914, and the adjacent housing estate was built for the miners between 1914 and 1923 in what was then a largely rural area. It consists of 650 houses and 2700 inhabitants, and is one of the largest garden city estates in the North Ruhrgebiet. In addition it can boast of 40 different types of houses, thereby making it one of the most variegated estates. Long curving streets, enclosed street areas and interesting groups of houses create a lively image and give the area a feeling of cosy security. In addition grassy areas and gardens give the estate the impression of being in the middle of a rural landscape. The relatively large buildings and the large-scale arrangement of the facades cleverly conceal the fact that the housing units themselves were often no more than 35 square metres in size. Whereas the colliery workers were housed in Welheim, there was a much better equipped housing estate for white-collar workers on the other side of the pit railway. Coal mining ended here in 1931 and the site was then converted into a hydrogenation plant. This involved a change in residency rights in what was once exclusively a housing estate for miners. Because the estate was situated right in the middle of industrial plants it was subject to considerable damage from heavy air raids during the Second World War. The Emscher Park International Building Exhibition project included the modernisation of the Welheim garden city. Whereas the external appearance of the building was retained, living conditions were considerably improved by joining small housing units together and upgrading the equipment and facilities.
