Östra Tullgatan 1 - 3
in Malmö

in Swedish

The building with its pleated roofs was constructed in 1958 for American Motor Imports, Motorami, which had been selling and servicing cars here since 1918.

The architect was Lennart Bergström. It was his first independent project after working with Ralph Erskine, whose influence can be seen in the wave-shaped forms over the entrances and the vaulted roof.

We often lament the demolition of entire neighborhoods in the 1950s and 60s, but forget that many of those apartments were dark and lacked baths or indoor toilets—they were simply ready for renewal. Not every new building was as thoughtfully designed as the Motorami house. Read more about the building and the area’s history↓

Tenants and owner

• Shops and other businessesꜜ
• Vacant premises: not updated
• Owner: not updated

Bilgatan – Malmö’s Car Street

In the 1930s, car dealerships began to cluster at Malmö’s eastern exit near Schougens Bridge, Östra Tullgatan and the surrounding streets. The last dealership hall disappeared only in 2006. American Motor Imports, Motorami, began its business here on Östra Tullgatan. Read more about Bilgatan↓

After Malmö's old fortifications were demolished in the early 1800s, a new canal was dug to drain Rörsjön. The canal was only half as wide as today. A stone arch bridge was built first, then replaced by a wooden bridge in 1884, and finally by an iron swing bridge. The bridge, Schougens Bro, got its name from merchant Christian Peter Schoug, who had a trading estate nearby in the 1800s.

We've highlighted a red frame on a building gable to draw attention to Motorami’s car dealership advertisement. The white house in the center was later replaced by today's Östra Tullgatan 1–3.

Nya Staden – The New Town

The land on which the Husaren block sits is part of an area named Nya Staden (“the New Town”) in the 1800s. This was land reclaimed by order of King Gustav IV Adolf, who had fortress walls torn down and moats filled around Malmö. The canals we see today are not old moats—those fortifications were built during the turbulent 1600s, when Swedes and Danes alternately besieged Malmö. About fifty percent of Malmö consisted of ramparts, moats, bastions, redoubts and more. They were clearly effective, because no one ever managed to conquer the city.

Nya Staden included eastern and southern Malmö, with Drottningtorget (IDstory) and Gustav Adolfs Torg (IDstory) at each end, and Stora Nygatan, Kvarngatan, Trädgårdsgatan, Norregatan and more streets in between. Among the first buildings here were Malmö Theatre with the restaurant Stadt Hamburg (now H&M at Gustav Adolfs Torg), and the riding hall at Drottningtorget (now the Boule Restaurant).

The Motorami Building

The building with pleated roofs was constructed in 1958 for American Motor Imports, Motorami, which had sold and serviced cars here since 1918.

The architect was Lennart Bergström. It was his first solo project after working for Ralph Erskine, whose influence is visible in the wave-like entrance canopies and the elegant vaulted roof. Compare with Erskine’s own office building for Pågens on Lantmannagatan. The property has been modernized several times and today includes offices, apartments, and shops.

Up to the 1980s, the site housed workshops, a gas station, and salesrooms mainly for Opel. But many other businesses have had their home here over the years.

Previous Businesses

When the hussar troops left, the area was cleaned up and apartment buildings went up along Norra Vallgatan and Drottningtorget. The canal-facing lots hosted a mix of businesses—including a small amusements venue.

An older house by Schougens Bro, likely from the early 1800s, held not only residences, but a café, tobacconist, and Månsson's glassworks (which survived over at Värnhemstorget until recently). Their specialty was car glass, fitting for the Motorami area, which was a hub for automotive trade.

Behind this were repair shops, the gas station, and garages operated by Motorami. They sold American cars of various brands. Erickson's Mechanical Workshop was also here, making safes among other things.

Bilgatan – Malmö’s Auto Mile

In the 1930s, car sales began to concentrate around Malmö’s eastern exit near Schougens Bro. Over the decades, auto trading flourished at Östra Tullgatan and the surrounding streets. The last car showroom didn’t close until 2006.

American Motor Imports, Motorami, started at Östra Tullgatan with “imports of American automobiles, automobile garage and mechanical service.” Over the years, they sold Ford, Pontiac, Overland, Willys Knight, Falcon, Whippet, and Opel.

Motorami was bought by Kinnevik Group in 1964, and from 1980 became part of Svenska Motor AB, remaining under Kinnevik until 1999.

Frode Lund, located at Östra Promenaden, was an authorized dealer for General Motors—Buick, Chevrolet, and Oldsmobile. Over time, the business started selling Volvo and changed its name to Verdexa.

Autoropa, Hedbergs Bil, and Philipssons Bil are other car companies that have all operated in these blocks.

Förenade Bil began operations at Östra Tullgatan in 1921. Now best known for selling BMW, Förenade Bil has offered a variety of brands over the years—NAG↗, Brennabor↗, Dort↗, Marmon↗, Hupmobile↗, White↗, Pierce-Arrow↗, DeSoto↗, and Glas↗—now mostly lesser-known but beautiful machines. Förenade Bil was the last car business to leave the area when it opened a new facility on Yttre Ringvägen in 2006.

References

• About BiBB, a media company and an encyclopedia 4.0
• Text: Christian Kindblad | Photo: Johan Schlasberg

Shops and other companies

• Not currently updated

Published: 2005.06 Updated: 2025.09.10

Kategorier 20 Fastigheter 47

---



Förslag till förbättringar av BiBB är välkomna



You know a lot, we may add a little^®