History

At the Miss Clara Hotel, world-renowned architect Gert Wingårdh has, with razor-sharp precision, created a warm atmosphere of modern exclusivity and functionality in the heart of downtown Stockholm. At the same time, he has deliberately preserved many of the original details that evoke an exciting past and pay tribute to the building’s rich history.

A girls’ school for nearly 40 years
The stone floors that can still be seen in most of Miss Clara’s common areas have, over the years, been trodden upon by the shoes of hundreds of ambitious female students. In 1910, a new school building was constructed at Sveavägen 48, which then housed one of Sweden’s largest educational institutions for girls; the Ateneum Girls’ School. One of the leading architectural firms of the time, Hagström & Ekman, was commissioned to design this building, where the banister between the four lower, original floors still remains and continues to serve as a sturdy support for vertical movement within the building’s interior.
When it was created, the building’s design was clearly inspired by the Art Nouveau style that became very popular throughout Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s. From the outside, one can still see the house’s original windows, whose upper sections consist of small panes—a detail highly characteristic of this trend that prevailed at the turn of the century.

Even our name has a history
When discussing popularity in the late 1800s, it is almost impossible not to mention Clara Strömberg. During this period, Clara was an immensely popular principal who, with unwavering enthusiasm, continued to be an influential figure of authority for the students at Ateneum. Clara’s wonderful attitude toward life, combined with her courage to swim against the tide—she was, among other things, a pioneer in sex education in Sweden—has also inspired us in our work, and we have therefore chosen to name our hotel after this very special woman.

The first steps toward a new era of greatness
Since the girls’ school closed in 1939, Sveavägen 48 has led a relatively anonymous existence as an office building. With the arrival of the Miss Clara Hotel, we want to breathe new life into this fantastic building and, going forward, offer both visitors from afar and native Stockholmers a truly unique hotel experience.
Photos: Larssons Ateljé, published by the Stockholm City Museum