During the 19th century, and long into the 20th century, the entire inner harbour was encircled by warehouses. They stood on piles in the intertidal zone, with the gable end facing towards the sea - almost like a string of pearls around the harbour.

This sketch map was created based on a city map from 1868, and is taken from "The Town Centre Plan. A Partial Aspect - Preservation of the building environment" ("Sentrumsplanen. Delaspekt - Bevaring av bygningsmiljø"), prepared by Tromsø's municipal city planning commissioner.