Fancy finding a building with a story that twists through centuries? Welcome to Överkommissariens hus. This building stands on Riddarholmen in central Stockholm.
Överkommissariens hus dates back to the 1750s. Imagine Stockholm as a bustling port city. Wealthy merchants shaped its skyline. Berge Olofson Ström was one such merchant. He commissioned Carl Hårleman to design this house. Ström even lent his name to the small island nearby Strömsborg.
The Crown later acquired Överkommissariens hus. It became home to the General Assistance Office. This office was a kind of pawn shop. From the 1770s, its main premises were in the Old Auction House, also on Riddarholmen. The head of the pawn shop was called the “Överkommissarie”. The house got its name from his residence here.
The top floor and facade facing the water were added in the 1850s. Visualize the house evolving, adapting to changing times. By the late 1800s the pawn shop closed. The Drätselnämnden’s archive moved into Överkommissariens hus. It later merged with the Rådhusarkivet becoming the Stockholm City Archives. The City Archives remained here until 1943. Then they moved to Kungsholmen.
In 1949, the state once again owned Överkommissariens hus. A major renovation took place between 1950 and 1954. The architect Cyrillus Johansson oversaw these changes for the Chamber College. The connection between Överkommissariens hus and Birger Jarl’s Tower was bricked up.
Today that connection has been reopened. Now Överkommissariens hus, like its neighbor Birger Jarl’s Tower, houses offices for the Chancellor of Justice.
Consider this building’s journey. From a merchant’s home to a pawn shop manager’s residence. Then to an archive and finally government offices. Överkommissariens hus has witnessed Stockholm’s transformations. It stands as a silent observer of history.