Then&Now Nordvest: A Baroque Facade with a Soapy Past at Dampvaskeriet Thor

I just got back from vacation, and one of the first things I noticed was that the construction on Thoravej and Theklavej is finally done. The scaffolding is gone, the facade has been cleaned up, and the building at the corner has been given a fresh coat of red paint. Perfect timing to share a little story about this place — because behind the pretty baroque facade hides a surprisingly soapy past.

Back in the day, this was Dampvaskeriet Thor, a steam laundry that started here in 1916. Back then, Nordvest (still called Utterslev Mark at the time) was an industrial hotspot, and Thor was one of the most modern laundries of its kind. They cleaned huge amounts of bedding, tablecloths, and linen for businesses and households all over Copenhagen.

And here’s the fun part: there’s actually a documentary from 1916 showing how it all worked. You see women sorting and folding, men handling the big, noisy machines, and sheets rolling out crisp and spotless. It’s a rare little time capsule of working life in Copenhagen over a hundred years ago, and you can still watch it today here.

The building itself stretches from Thoravej to Theklavej and was designed with a touch of baroque inspiration. Even though it was “just” a laundry, the owners clearly wanted it to look grand and solid. And standing there today, with its bold red facade, it still makes an impression.

Of course, the steam laundry is long gone. The area has changed, with new housing and creative spaces moving in. But the building has found a new life: today it hosts AO Håndværkerbutik, the offices of Zenz (organic hair products), and the architecture firm Rørbæk and Møller. A pretty fitting mix for a place that’s always been about craft, care, and creation in one way or another.

So next time you walk down Thoravej or Theklavej, take a moment to look up at that facade. It’s not just a pretty building — it’s a reminder that Nordvest has always been a place of hard work, reinvention, and stories worth telling.