Höfði House

Höfði House is a white wooden building on the seafront at Borgartún in Reykjavik, known worldwide as the venue of the October 1986 summit between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It was built in 1909 for the French consul Jean-Paul Brillouin, and later owners included the poet Einar Benediktsson, who lived there in the 1910s. The house was bought by the city of Reykjavik in 1958 and has since been used for official receptions and meetings. In 1986 the two leaders met in the house on 11 and 12 October. The talks ended without agreement on nuclear arms reduction, but they are widely seen as a stage on the road to the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and, in time, the end of the Cold War. The building is a two-storey timber house in a Norwegian-influenced style with a steep roof, a veranda, and a small tower-like entrance. It was designed by Icelandic carpenter Einar Erlendsson and assembled in a manner typical of early 20th-century wooden villas. Restoration work by the city has maintained its appearance, and the grounds include a monument by the artist Yoko Ono, the Imagine Peace Tower being on nearby Viðey island. Another feature on the coastal path is a sculpture, a work by Einar Jónsson, close to the house. The interior is generally closed to the public and opened only on special occasions, so most visitors view the house from the grounds and the seafront path that runs along Sæbraut. The setting, with views over Faxaflói bay toward Mount Esja, makes it a pleasant stop on a coastal walk, and it can be reached on foot or by bicycle from the city centre. Information on events is published through the City of Reykjavik at reykjavik.is.