Lögberg-Heimskringla - 21.06.1985, Síða 5

WINNIPEG, FÖSTUDAGUR 21. JÚNÍ 1985-5
The Torfa Houses
Photos Páll Stefánsson
by Adalsteinn Ingólfsson
Every capital city has at least two
centres, one historical and the other
commercial. The centre of Reykjavik
is perhaps not large enough to
warrant such a division. But if one
wanted to be precise, it would be
possible to say that the city's
historical centre consisted of the area
around Althing square, Austurvöllur,
and adjoining streets, including the
busy Laekjargata thoroughfare to the
east.
Bankastraeti, the street of banks,
starts by Laekjargata's main square,
Laekjartorg, and continues
eastwards, changing its name to
Laugavegur, the road of hot wells,
after a few hundred metres.
Nowadays one doesn’t see women
trudging up Laugavegur with their
dirty laundry, heading for the open-
air hot water trough at the top of the
street — only án endless succession
of shops and other businesses. Thus
Bankastraeti and Laugavegur could
be called the city’s traditional
commercial lifeline.
Where Laekjargata joins
Bankastraeti, history meets
commerce, and there we find the real
heart of Reykjavik. Most people go
through there on their way to and
from work; small restaurants,
galleries and coffee houses may be
found close by; and at least two
venerable buildings provide a focus
of interest. One houses the Reykjavik
College, the oldest establishment of
higher education in the country, the
other is Government House (IR 1,
1984), a building in a similar 18th-
century style, where both the
President and the Prime Minister
have their offices. On sunny days
people gather in front of the oid
houses in Laekjargata, to celebrate
holidays, to talk, listen to music by
passing troubadors or to play chess

A view of the Torfa houses as they appear today. Bankastraeti is to the left of them
on the giant chessboard, designed by
sculptor Jón Gunnar Arnason, set up
there three years ago.
On such days it is hard to imagine
how this part of town, the grass-
covered incline and the beautifully
restored houses facing it, could ever
have been controversial. But a
decade ago, this area, commonly
known as Torfan (The Turf), came
close to dividing the people of
Reykjavik into two factions: pro and
anti restorers. Now even former
diehard opponents of restoration
proudly point out the Torfa houses to
their foreign friends, or take them
there for meals in the two small
restaurants located in the very same
buildings.
Strictly speaking, the much
discussed Torfa consists of only four
buildings that stand on a grassy knoll
between Bankastraeti and the tiny
street of Amtmannsstígur, but
together with the Reykjavík College
and Government House they form
what Danish architecture historian
Helge Finsen called "the only
unbroken line of pre-20th century
town houses in Iceland." He was also
the first to call for their preservation,
back in 1956.
They were originally built between
1834 and 1905 by some of
Reykjavík's most prominent citizens,
and were considered among the
town's attractions. Three of them
were built in the prevailing Danish
fashion, from brick held in place by
a sturdy timber structure which was
then clad with either vertical or hor-
izontal weather boarding. The fourth
house in the row, the so-called Gimli
building, was built in 1905 out of
concrete blocks — the first time such
a technique was used in Iceland.
There are other structural features
which make these houses important
for Iceland's architectural history.
The Gimli building has iron reinforc-
ing in two places, another first in
Iceland, and also boasts the country's
first central heating system. An
Continued on page 6
Icelanders have always been chess enthusiasts. In the aftermath of
the Spassky-Fischer match in Reykjavik, 1972, this giant chess board
and chessmen were designed by sculptor Jón Gunnar Arnason and
eventually placed in front of the Torfa houses. On sunny days, they
have proven to be very popular.
Þjóðræknisfélag íslendinga í Vesturheimi
FORSETI: OLI NARFASON
Gimli, Manitoba
ICELANDIC NATIONAL LEAGUE
Support the League and its Chapters by joining;
MEMBERSHIP: Individuals $3.00 Families $5.00
Mail your cheque to your local Chapter or
Lilja Arnason,
1057 Dominion St., Winnipeg, Man. R3E 2P3