Town House from Dronningensgate 15

The façade with its yellow and red stripes was very fashionable in Christiania in the early 1700s. The stripes are formed by a special bricklaying technique, cross bonding. This gave a decorative effect to brickwork. The fashion became so popular that stripes were also painted on walls built of single-colored bricks.The anchoring irons on the front – AO 1714 TESGMMD – form the initials of the first owner Tøger Eriksen Grøn and his wife Margrethe Mogensdatter. Such irons were placed to keep the beams of each floor fastened to the wall, while at the same time being used decoratively to show when the house was built and by whom.

The façade with its yellow and red stripes was very fashionable in Christiania in the early 1700s. The stripes are formed by a special bricklaying technique, cross bonding. This gave a decorative effect to brickwork. The fashion became so popular that stripes were also painted on walls built of single-colored bricks.The anchoring irons on the front – AO 1714 TESGMMD – form the initials of the first owner Tøger Eriksen Grøn and his wife Margrethe Mogensdatter. Such irons were placed to keep the beams of each floor fastened to the wall, while at the same time being used decoratively to show when the house was built and by whom.

The property was bought by General Hans Jacob Arnold in 1737. The elegant baroque staircase and the panels, doors and ceilings of the corner rooms date back to his time. The ceiling plasterwork with allegorical scenes was probably made in 1752 by Ole Trulsen Svartz.In 1760, the building became the official residence for the commanding general and the headquarters of the war office.