About ett

A PLACE FOR BARONS, ARTISTS AND BON VIVANTS

Great art, family life, power and politics. Avenyn 1 has been home to many exciting, passionate people since it was built in 1883. Here, in the apartments, reception rooms and studios, as well as the speakeasy at the bottom of the building, the building’s neighbours and the cream of Gothenburg’s social life found spiritual and physical inspiration and nourishment. Around the turn of the century before the last one, the widely travelled artists, businessmen and politicians of the day lived and mingled in the rooms of the building.

The artist couple Emma Sparre and her husband Baron Carl Axel Ambjörn, mill owner Alexander Keiller Jr., Douglas Dickson son of a baron, and the painters Anna Nordgren and Oskar Stenvall – great contemporary artists of the day after apprentice years in Europe – all lived here at number one or “Ettan”. The city architect himself, Victor von Gegerfeldt, was so charmed by the designs of the building that he moved in as one of the first tenants. ”Ettan” was also home to MP Oscar Evers, artist Ingeborg Eggertz and her husband editor August Emil, photographer Olga Rinman and merchant Carl Fredrik Waern Jr., husband of “Lalla” Bonnier. Around 1925, the building became the centre for Swedish and Gothenburg shipping. Several of the building’s residents belonged to the shipping elite and “Ettan” was the home of the Swedish Shipowners’ Association for many years.

When the building was new, it was already apparent how well suited the bottom floor was for food, laughter and strong drink. Consequently, a luxurious speakeasy was quickly opened for the elite of the day. It was, for instance, during a ceremonious beer séance here that the philosophical ideas behind the beer hall Ölhallen 7:an at Kungstorget square were born.

We are writing the next chapter of the building’s history around food and drink.