In 1906 Stockholm architect Ragnar Östberg was engaged in two projects in Umeå: a theatre building and a villa, both in prime locations by the river.
Colonel Aschan of the Dragoon Regiment ordered construction of the villa. Using the Swedish manor of the 19th century as a starting point (see Angården), Östberg developed his own design for this distinctive home. With its mansard roof, originally completely red except for the windows’ mullion arches in white, the colonel’s villa differed from the rest of the city.
The theatre building – a large wooden structure located east of the customs house below Reiniusska Manor – is now gone. The city of Umeå took the risk of building it of wood. Seven years later it burned to the ground, not entirely unexpectedly.