Rosenborggade 7–9
| Company type | Building complex |
|---|---|
| Industry | Residential and commercial real estate |
| Founded | 1810 |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen , Denmark |
| Products | Rental apartments, commercial premises, office accommodation |
| Owner | E/F Rosenborggade 7–9 |
Rosenborggade 7–9 is a building ensemble from the mid-1800s situated at the intersection of Rosenborggade and Tornebuskegade, close to Nørreport station within Copenhagen’s historic district. The complex consists of a prominent corner edifice (Rosenborggade 9/Tornebuskegade 1), originally constructed in 1810 and elevated during 1846–47, an adjoining structure at Rosenborggade No. 7 completed in 1847, along with a warehouse positioned in the courtyard. This property was officially protected under the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1975. A commemorative plaque on No. 7 honors philosopher Søren Kierkegaard who resided there between 1848 and 1850, a period during which he authored The Sickness unto Death and Practice in Christianity. Other distinguished occupants include actors Ludvig and Louise Phister, who inhabited the second-floor apartment at No. 7 from 1859 until their respective deaths in 1896 and 1916.
17th and 18th centuries
In the late 1600s, this location formed part of a larger estate identified as No. 66 in Klædebo Quarter, owned by Regitze Grubbe (1618–1689), widow of Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve. She never lived on the premises, having been exiled to Bornholm following her involvement in a failed assassination attempt in 1678.
Subsequently, the property was subdivided into what are now Rosenborggade 7–9 and Tornebuskegade Nos. 3 and 5. By 1756, the corner plot was recorded as No. 64 in Klædebo Quarter under the ownership of David Smidt.
According to the 1787 census, brewer Herman Hendrich Søderberg held ownership of the property. He resided there with his second wife Johana Sophia Koefoed, their two young sons, several brewery workers, and domestic staff.
19th century
In 1801, only one household occupied the property, headed by merchant and brewer Peder Larsen. By the time of the 1806 cadastre, it was listed as No. 156 with brewer Poul Alexander von Ross as proprietor. Later, brewer Jacob Carstensen acquired it and erected the corner building (present-day Rosenborggade 9/Tornebuskegade 1) in 1810.
The estate was eventually purchased by master tanner Johan Julius Gram (1799–1854). Between 1846 and 1847, he added two additional floors to the corner building and developed No. 156A (now Rosenborggade 7) along with a warehouse located in the courtyard. This arrangement combined rental apartments facing the street with Gram’s tannery operating behind them. Nearby, Abraham Hartz ran his tannery at Rosenborggade No. 155 since 1832.
Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard rented quarters in the corner building (currently No. 9) starting in 1848 while preparing for travels across Europe. Although initially eager about his stay, he found the tannery’s odors disagreeable and relocated within the complex before moving away entirely in 1850. During this residency, he composed important works such as The Sickness unto Death and Practice in Christianity.
Actors Ludvig Phister (1807–1896) and Louise Phister (1816–1914) occupied an apartment on the second floor at No. 7 beginning in 1849 until their deaths.
The census of 1860 shows that No. 156A accommodated thirty individuals including the Phister family; district physician Frants Caspar Djørup along with relatives of author Henrik Pontoppidan; goldsmith Carl Christian Olsen’s household; plus other tenants like tavern keeper Christen Nielsen.
At No. 156B (today Rosenborggade 9), twenty-three residents lived there including civil servant Frederik Christian Grove; widow Lucie Elise Fich with her family; Member of Parliament Søren Pedersen Lybye during his stays in Copenhagen; and Birtha Johanne Dorthea Nielsen’s household—her son Jacob Nielsen would later found a prominent printing firm.
No. 156C (now Tornebuskegade 1) housed thirty-four people in 1860, among them Lutheran clergyman Johan Nicolay Lange.
By the census conducted in 1880, addresses Nos. 7 through 9 collectively sheltered seventy-nine inhabitants, underscoring the property’s importance as a mixed-use residential and commercial site within central Copenhagen.
Rosenborggade 7
The building at Rosenborggade 7 comprises four storeys above a walk-out basement and spans five bays along the street frontage. Extending from the west side of a cobblestone courtyard is an eight-bay wing positioned at a right angle. The ground level is finished with brown plaster and features sandstone window surrounds beneath a white horizontal band. Positioned at the far right bay, the main doorway is surmounted by a transom window. The upper section of the facade is constructed in red brick, accented with white sill bands beneath the windows on the third floor, a dentil cornice, and white plaster framing around the windows. On the courtyard-facing side, the walls are coated in yellow plaster. The pitched roof is covered with black tiles on the street-facing side and red tiles facing the courtyard.
At the end of the perpendicular wing stands an L-shaped warehouse, distinguished by a wall dormer equipped with a pulley beam.
Rosenborggade 9/Tornebuskegade 1
Rosenborggade 9 rises five storeys above a walk-out basement and presents a pale yellow rendered facade. Horizontal belt courses delineate each floor, complemented by sill bands below the first and fourth-floor windows, and a cornice supported by corbels crowns the facade. The building's frontage extends across nine bays on Rosenborggade and six bays along Tornebuskegade. The principal entrance is centrally located on Rosenborggade, while a gate on Tornebuskegade provides access to the courtyard.
Today
Currently under the ownership of E/F Rosenborggade 7–9, the lower two floors of No. 9 have been repurposed into commercial premises, while the warehouse within the courtyard has been converted for office accommodation.