As the gentry of 19th century Tromsø built its houses, they chose the trendy classicism of the day, but adapted it to the preferred material wood. These houses, with their wooden pilasters and Greco-roman doorways, characterize the city centre. More modest houses are found in the once working-class northern part of town, and late 19th century wooden villas with grand-style verandas grace the slopes above the city.

The long winter encouraged people to paint their houses in vivid colours, from peach through ocre and red, to the clear blue imported from Russia. The wonders of the  20th century include Art Nouveau gems like Northern Europe's oldest cinema in use, Verdensteatret, the courageous lines of the Arctic Cathedral from 1965, as well as the varied architecture of the University campus. The degree with which old wooden houses co-exist well with concrete, steel and glass, is as ource of constant discussion by local patriots and visitors alike. However, what Tromsø lacks in city planning and Walt Disney-qualities, it compensates for with colours and imagination.