Þingholtsstræti Photo by Christian Bickel
Photo by Christian Bickel

ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN REYKJAVÍK – Þingholtsstræti

Þingholtsstræti was developed by the fast-growing class of craftsmen at the end of the 19th century. The oldest houses on the street were built in 1870- 1885: Þingholtsstræti 11, 12 and 25 were built by carpenter-composer­ shopkeeper Helgi Helgason. He was a prolific builder, whose timber build­ ings were renowned for their fine neoclassical style, which was new in Reykjavfk at the time.

Þingholtsstræti 16 (built 1883) is an example of the wooden houses that developed from the oldest (Danish) style (see sections A and B). An example of a chalet-style house is Þingholtsstræti 29, which was imported from Norway in kit form around the turn of the century (“cat­ alogue” house, see section C).

Diagonally opposite is Landhöfðingjahúsið (The Governor’s House) at Skálholtsstfgur 7, designed and built in 1902 by master builder Magnús Th. Blöndal. Its onion-dome is a landmark of the Þingholt district.