Early history

No. 5 seen on a detail from Christian Gedde's map of the North Quarter, 1757.

The property was in the late 17th century part of a æarger property. In Copenhagen's first property of 1789, it was listed as No. 5. It was by then owned by councilman Hans Knudsen Leegaard.

After the Copenhagen Fire of 1728, the property was acquired by Abraham Pelt. He subsequently moved his sugar refinery from Christianshavn to his new property on Gammeltorv. In the new cadastre of 1756, the property was again listed as No. 5. It was by then still owned by Pelt.

Hinrich Ladiges and his sugar refinery

The property was acquired by Hinrich Ladiges in circa 1757. He had until then been the owner of a sugar refinery in Viborg. He continued the sugar refinery in the new location. As of the 1787 census, he resided in the building with on his property with an office clerk, 14 sugar refineryworkers, a coachman, a housekeeper and two maids. a male servant.^[1]

Ladiges' property was together with most of the other buildings in the area in the Copenhagen Fire of 1795. The current buildings on the site was built for Ladiges in 1798. At the time of the 1801 cemsis, Æadiges was residing in the building with the office clerk Niels Møller, a housekeeper, a maid, a female cook, a coachman and a caretaker.^[2]

Ladiges died as one of the wealthiest men in the country in 1805^[3] In the new cadastre of 1806, the property was listed as No. 4.

Later history

Gammeltorv 14 photographed by Peter Elfelt

Another successful merchant, Lauritz Nicolai Hvidt, lived in the building from 1808 to 1809. He would later become one of the largest shipowners in the country and manager of Bank of Denmark from 1835 and until his death.

At the time of the 1840 census, No. 4 was home to four households. Simon Aron Eiberchutz, a Jewish businessman, resided on the first floor with his Rose Eiberchutz (née Vallich), the 60-year-old widow Judutte Vallich, the 17-year-old girl Frederikke Abrahamsen, a housekeeper, a maid and a male servant.^[4] Jens Claus Hansen, a member of the University of Copenhagen's government body (Konsistorium), resided on the second floor with his four children (aged six to 15), a housekeeper, pne male servant and one maid.^[5] Hans Nicolai Zøylner, a 37-year-old tea and porcelain merchant, resided in the basement with one servant.^[6] Ane Chatrine Backer, a 64-year old widow and the building's concierge, was also resident in the basement with her 23-year-old daughter.^[7]

A later owner was Christian Holm after whom it has received the name under which it is now known. He was a son of the industrialist and shipowner Jacob Holm.

The linguist Vilhelm Thomsen was born in the building on 25 January 1842. He was a professor of comparative linguistics at the University of Copenhagen from 1887 to 1913 and was awarded the Order of the Elephant in 1812 as one of few non-roral recipients in modern times.^[3]