Recreating A Floor Lost To Time

The Story of Børsen i Drammen and the Making of a Perfect Historical Copy

An hour southwest of Oslo stands Børsen i Drammen, a dignified landmark built in 1871 as a trading exchange and the beating commercial heart of the city. The building was designed by Swedish architect Emil Victor Langlet, who, only a few years earlier, had caused national debate when he was chosen to design the Norwegian Parliament despite not winning the competition. Bold decisions defined his career, and Børsen became one of them.

The previous “Børsteateret,” which housed both the Drammen Stock Exchange and the city theatre, was lost in the devastating fire of 1866. Langlet was entrusted with creating both a new trading hall and a new theatre, symbolic buildings intended to help restore civic pride.

Yet when the new Børsen opened its doors in 1871, something was missing. The grand hall, intended for gatherings, celebrations and official receptions, remained unfinished and without its planned oak floor. Still, the hall became a ceremonial space, hosting jubilees and welcoming three Norwegian kings over the decades that followed. A century of footsteps, festivities and heavy use eventually wore the original floor beyond repair. By 1996, a replacement was no longer a choice but a necessity.

A Floor Worth Recreating

When the floor had to be renewed, the task was not to modernise but to restore – faithfully, respectfully and with absolute historical precision. Hørning was entrusted with the responsibility of recreating a perfect copy of the long-lost original.

Architect Eric Rømcke carried out detailed measurements and documentation, enabling our craftsmen to produce a new patterned oak floor that matched the historic design in every proportion. The floor, made in our Danish production, was hand-crafted in a traditional square pattern, fully in keeping with Langlet’s architectural vision.

Craftsmanship as Cultural Stewardship

Projects like these are more than technical exercises. They are acts of preservation. In Hørning, we consider it a privilege to contribute to buildings that carry cultural significance and to rooms that demand material honesty, durability and authenticity. A patterned oak floor may seem modest at first glance, but in its details it carries the weight of history.

The new solid, oiled oak floor now lies in the great hall of Børsen as though it had always been there. It restores the dignity of the room and it is ready, once again, to host celebrations, gatherings and ceremonies for another hundred years.

A floor recreated, a legacy continued.

Author and photographer: Bjarne Lund Johansen