Missionary House

The Missionary House (Calmeyergatens Misjonshus) at 1 Calmeyers Gate was built in a neo-Gothic style in 1891, as a venue for religious meetings for the so-called Hausmann Quarters in the north-east part of the city centre. At the time, it was the biggest meeting hall in Scandinavia, with a capacity of 5000. Up to the 1950s, it was often used as a concert hall. It survived until 1972, when it was demolished. Grieg organised a number of concerts here, in which he accompanied on the piano or as conductor of the orchestra the most famous instrumentalists and singers. The prices of tickets for those concerts were low enough for the poor to afford them, and the concerts were always completely sold out. That initiative contributed to the composer’s huge popularity.