Kungstornen
Encyclopedia
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
high-rise buildings in Norrmalm, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Built between 1924 and 1925, they are considered the first skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s in Europe .
The towers mark a slight bend in the street, one block east of Hötorget
Hötorget
Hötorget is a city square in the center of Stockholm. During the daytime it is the site of a fruit and vegetable market, except on Sundays, when flea markets are arranged....
, where it is crossed by the 16 metre high Malmskillnadsbron, a bridge in the course of Malmskillnadsgatan
Malmskillnadsgatan
Malmskillnadsgatan is a 650 metres long street in central Stockholm, Sweden. It stretches northward from the Brunkebergstorg square over Hamngatan; crosses Mäster Samuelsgatan and Oxtorgsgatan; passes over the bridge Malmskillnadsbron passing over Kungsgatan; crosses Brunnsgatan and David Bagares...
, to which they are adjacent. They are 60 metres high and of similar, but not identical, exterior design. Their construction was inspired by American models, particularly the architecture of Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
of the time. The north tower was designed by Sven Wallander who also authored the 1919 master plan for Kungsgatan; the southern tower was designed by Ivar Callander.