Tales of the Table · Tales of the Table
Listamannaskálinn (1943–1968) – Lost Tables
The Artists' Hall was built in 1942–43 by the Association of Icelandic Visual Artists to a design by the architect Gunnlaugur Halldórsson, on the lot behind the old house Líkn on Kirkjustræti, right beside the Parliament building. It was meant as a temporary exhibition hall with a life of about five
The Artists' Hall was built in 1942–43 by the Association of Icelandic Visual Artists to a design by the architect Gunnlaugur Halldórsson, on the lot behind the old house Líkn on Kirkjustræti, right beside the Parliament building. It was meant as a temporary exhibition hall with a life of about five years, but it ended up hosting concerts, political meetings, a cafeteria and dances as well. From 1945 Björn R. Einarsson's band, the first all-Icelandic jazz band, played here and at Breiðfirðingabúð, and dances were held for several years around and after 1950. The neglected foundations soon let the building slip out of true and the roof leaked badly; by about 1960 it was a run-down shed and talk of demolition began. After years of debate it was finally torn down in 1968, and Alþingi's glass-and-steel service building, opened in 2002, now stands at Kirkjustræti 12.
The site is part of the Alþingi grounds; Alþingi's service building (2002) stands at Kirkjustræti 12
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