Old people's home
Marker 3.
Lyngby
Old people's homeMarker 3. |
Lyngby
|
/Alderdomsboliger.jpg)
In 1914 the local authority decided to build modern homes for some of Lyngby's oldest citizens. The flats (apartments) had electric lights and running water and a toilet in the corridor. Electricity was introduced to the central part of Lyngby in 1909 and running water was introduced in Farmerstown (Bondebyen, the Old Town) in 1916, so the residents of the 12 one-bedroom apartments must have experienced an entirely new standard of comfort when they moved into the two buildings at the northern corner of Lundtoftevej (Lundtoft Road) and Høstvej (Harvest Road) in 1916.Lyngby-Taarbæk local authority chose to break new ground in the area of municipal buildings for the elderly in their choice of style for the old peoples’ homes. They were inspired by the stately homes built in some provincial towns around 1900 and by the small flats found in many cities. The local authority emphasized that housing for old people should be built in the same neighborhood where they had formerly lived and that the flats should have good facilities. The principle of proximity is being maintained today, as from 1934 onwards the local authority built many small complexes of homes for old people around the municipality.
The two houses at Høstvej are positioned so they get sunshine in the living room and bay windows give additional light. The bay windows were a feature of the buildings. Combined with a granite foundation and distinctive window frames and sills made of limestone, the houses signal strength and quality in construction. In 1927 the local authority built a further 18 flats on the other side of Høstvej in the same style as the first.
Johan Wilmann (1866-1928) was the initiator of the old peoples' homes and a memorial stone to him stands at the street corner. He worked as a town counciller to modernize the municipality and it was largely his credit that Ulrikkenborg district was expanded after the extension of Buddinge Vej (Road) into Lyngby by the bridge under the railway.
The political majority on the local authority changed from conservative to social democratic in the election in 1913. Industrial workers had moved to the municipality to work on the big new factories that had been established in Lyngby after about 1890.