Smia 1859 

In the middle of the 19th century, agricultural buildings were built in the area by Svanedammen. The workshop and smithy building was one of these. It consisted of two parts with an open central section, and was 60 by 17 alen. It was erected in 1859 as a carpentry workshop, smithy, brewery, bakery, and storage, i.e., as an operational building for both school and farm operations at the Higher Agricultural School in Ås. The building has over the years also had a number of other functions. It has contained both a dairy, housing, offices, and a bookstore in 1987.

In the building’s central room, which originally opened towards the southwest, a former outer wall in timber-framed masonry can be seen. Inside, there are preserved original and visible wooden structures.

Building description 

The smithy is an elongated building in one story, built in timber-framed masonry with red brick that is framed in decorative and yellow-painted woodwork. The building has a gable roof with a large overhang in a type of Swiss style. A building design that was very common in utility architecture and rural buildings in Germany, and popular in Norway from the mid-19th century.  

The building constituted a visual link between the operational courtyard, which it was an integrated part of, and the inner courtyard, where it formed a closure on the courtyard horseshoe. The location by Svanedammen (called Andedammen today) gave it a function as the fourth side of the courtyard and a beautiful closure on the courtyard and Svanedammen. 

The building's history  

The smithy had an originally open central section in the southwest long wall where the brewing pan and bakery oven were placed. There was room for a brewery and bakery in the back. In the northern end, there was a carpentry workshop and smithy. In 1862, there were a total of eight rooms that contained various workshops and storage places for farm tools (floor plan from 1881, NMBU’s drawing archive; List of State Properties, 1862, p. 14).

From 1863 to 1867, the Smithy was temporarily used as a dairy, allegedly in the carpentry workshop (note Erik Langdalen 20.10.1987, Riksantikvaren's archive).

In 1880, the building contained seven rooms with functions such as carpentry workshop, smithy, bakery and laundry room, one larger workroom for storage of items for the experimental field and more. Within this was a chamber and towards the back a room for botanical and forest collection. In the attic, there was a workroom with a tiled stove for craftsmen, the rest of the attic was a storage for carpentry materials. (State properties. no. 20 1884, p 58).

Temporarily Dairy 

The room for experimental field items and collections in the southern end is furnished as a dairy in 1882-1883. A drawing from 1881 (NMBU’s drawing archive) for conversion to a dairy, shows a cheese and laundry room, and the dairy maid’s living room in the front and milk storage and corridor at the back. The southeastern gable wall was probably now bricked to the existing appearance without timber framing, without windows on the 1st floor and with two windows on the 2nd floor. There were two workrooms in the southern loft instead of one (1885). Two dormer rooms in the southern end were housing for the cattle keeper (St.prop. no. 39 1886, p. 57; 42 1889, p. 43 and St.meld. no. 10 1898, p. 77). The dairy was moved to a new building in 1901.

In 1911, the first floor consisted of a carpentry workshop, smithy, fitting stable, slaughter room, room for storing window glass, housing for a washerwoman, and a room for day laborers. In the attic, there were two rooms for the poultry keeper. The rest was a material storage (St.meld. no. 10 1913, p. 255). 

In 1930, the two rooms for the tinsmith workshop had taken over for the window glass storage and room for day laborers. The washerwoman’s apartment is reported to be a living room, kitchen, and hallway. In the two rooms in the attic, unmarried workers lived (St.meld. no. 10 1932, p. 290). 

The open central section was built in the 1950s (Note Erik Langdalen 20.10.1987, Riksantikvaren's archive). The building contained in 1955: Smithy, carpentry and tinsmith workshops, tool room, storage, etc. In the attic, there were two bedsits (St.meld. no. 10 1958, p. 335). 

The roof was repaired, and the east side of the roof was provided with new roof tiles of brick around 1982 (note Erik Langdalen 20.10.1987, Riksantikvaren's archive).

Book store

The Smithy was proposed to be rehabilitated into the students’ bookstore and copy center in 1984. This was carried out in 1987 under the leadership of Professor Erik Langdalen and in consultation with Riksantikvaren. New coupled windows similar to the old ones were installed, a new external staircase was established, secondary walls were demolished, the ceiling was exposed and supplemented, the floors were built up to the same level and the outer walls were internally insulated and clad with panel (note Erik Langdalen 20.10.1987, Riksantikvaren's archive). 

In 2019, the western side of the roof was rehabilitated with the repair of the under-roof, replacement of rafters and battens, and much of the old roof tiles were cleaned and put back on. Damaged roof tiles were replaced with equivalent roof tiles from stock. In 2024, there is still a bookstore and printing facilities in the Smithy, which as of today has a gross area of 825 square meters. 

Sources: 

• Verneplan for UMB (conservation plan for UMB.) Bygninger og park i det sentrale universitetsanlegget. (Buildings and park in the central university) Part 1. UMB 2006. pages 28-31. 
• Norges landbrukshøgskole, 1859 - 1959. (The Norwegian collage of Agriculture)