Titel: SV: Translation help
Skrivet av: KG Hammarlund skrivet 2020-02-15, 08:34
The fire did not spread to the west of the avenue "Vestra Esplanaden". So Timmermannen should have been OK. At the same time it's a bit odd that the block looks completely empty. Two hypothetical explanations: 1) After the fire, provisional barracks were put up. These were later demolished and replaced with new buildings, or 2) there was an earlier block Timmermannen somewhere else in Umeå, destroyed in the fire.
But since your ancestors lived in (where registered as living in) Timmermannen till 1893, I would go for the first hypothesis. Either they lived in one of the barracks, or in an older house that the town council found ripe for demolishing, creating space for much needed housing. In either case, the block might have been cleared some time between 1893 and 1899.
Someone with good insights in Umeå's town planning should know more.
EDIT: Some more information and pics from the western parts of Umeå on pages 6-7 here: https://www.umea.se/download/18.3f589399144bbe9c366b80f/1396859264415/V%C3%A4st%20uppslag%20A3.pdf
The streets and blocks apparently were drawn up in the 1870's. On an older map (1857), the area was called 'Amerika'! The Wild West, I guess...