The Professor's House was once part of the psychiatric hospital, Kleppsspítali, which was built in 1907. The original hospital was of timber construction, with the Professor's House built as a residence to accommodate the chief physician and other hospital staff, including nurses, caretakers and others. The building was moved to the Árbær Open Air Museum in 1978 and now houses the museum offices.
The Professor's House at Kleppur was built in 1907 as live-in apartments for the chief physician and other staff of the first psychiatric hospital in Iceland at Kleppur. The building was connected to the hospital by a small construction. Rögnvaldur Ólafsson, the first Icelandic architect, designed both the residential building and the hospital, which were built simultaneously. Many of Rögnvaldur's houses have a strong classical influence, which applies to the Professor's House.
The hospital's first chief physician and Iceland's first psychiatrist, Þórður Sveinsson, occupied the first floor of the house with his family in the years 1907-1940Treatment of the mentally ill was controversial in Þórður's time, both within the medical profession and among the general public. He received his share of criticism, but in general, he was considered successful in his work.
Þórður's wife was Ellen Johanne Kaaber and was Danish. Her father was a furniture manufacturer, and all the furniture in their home came from his factory. The doctor and his wife had seven children, all of whom grew up in the Professor's House. These include ophthalmologist Úlfar, writer Agnar and lawyer Gunnlaug.
Members of the hospital staff, among them the head nurse and the hospital manager, lived on the second floor of the Professor's House. The attic also contained a room for the night nurse.
Kleppur had been a farm for centuries and was still so in the time of Þórður Sveinsson. It was considered quite a distance from the town of Reykjavík.
The professor's house was moved to Árbæjarsafn in 1978 and is one of the museum's largest and most magnificent buildings.
