The old wooden houses south of the town square in the Tromsø town centre were largely damaged by fire in 1969, while this part of the street Sjøgata was preserved. In the first half of the 19th century Sjøgata was the town's main street, and where the leading merchants had their businesses. The roadway followed the natural bend of the waterfront, where the warehouses/bearing houses stood on columns in the sea, and the general shops faced the street. The impressive merchants' residencies were located on the upper side of the street, with exterior buildings and annexes in the backyard, near the street Storgata. The buildings which are currently standing were built during the 19th century and have undergone much reconstruction in order to serve new purposes. Today this area is characterised by restaurants and cafes, along with banking organisations and a hardware shop.