Harald Simonsen (2 August 1873 – 3 February 1949) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

timber merchant, brickyard owner and developer.

Early life and education

Simonsen was born on 2 August 1873 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, the son of merchant Georg Harald Simonsen (1841–1890) and Caroline Jensen (1845–1913). He graduated from Nørrebros Latin- og realskole in 1889 and was then an apprentice for three years at B. Kromann jr. in Marstal before working first for the textile company v. Barm & Petersen in

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish, Low Saxon: ''Flensborg''; North Frisian: ''Flansborj''; South Jutlandic: ''Flensborre'') is an independent town (''kreisfreie Stadt'') in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the ...

and then for six years for

Holger Petersen Holger Petersen, (born 23 November 1949) is a Canadian businessman, record producer and radio broadcaster. He founded the independent roots music record label Stony Plain Records in 1975 with partner Alvin Jahns. The label was sold to True Nor ...

on Købmagergade in Copenhagen.

Career

In 1899, Simonsen started his own company which traded in building materials. The company grew rapidly. It purchased Niverød Brickworks in 1911, Snesere Brickworks in 1916 and later also Kollerup Brickworks. He was also a major importer of timber from Sweden and Finland. In 1918, when

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

had resulted in a shortage of cargo ships, he attracted media attention for converting a delivery of timber from Finland into a gigantic raft, naming it Refanut and towing it to Denmark. Simonsen's business gave him a thorough knowledge of the construction industry. During the economic crisis of the 1920s, Simonsen was stuck with great quantities of timber and bricks that no one wanted to buy. He responded by starting a new career as a developer. In 1926, he acquired a large piece of land at Svanemøllen in Copenhagen from the estate of S. N. Meyer. He constructed Svanemøllegården and Ulfsgård and sold off the rest of the land in lots. He was later also involved in a number of other development projects, both alone and in collaboration with others. These included Lindevangsgården,

Hostrups Have Hostrups Have ( lit. "Hostrup's Garden") is a famous functionalist housing estate and associated green space located at the corner of Falkoner Allé and Rolighedsvej in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed by Danish arch ...

, Ringkøbinggården, Hollændervænget and Thorsgård. In 1936, Simonsen converted his company to a limited company under the name Harald Simonsen A/S with an initial capital of DKK 1 million. The property management division was placed in a separate company.

Personal life

Simonsen married Betty Nathalia Thorup (1877–1949) on 10 January 1899. The couple had two children, Ib Simonsen and (''née'' Simonsen). Simonsen constructed a house on

Østerbrogade Østerbrogade is the principal shopping street and thoroughfare in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It extends from Lille Triangel at the north-eastern tip of The Lakes, Copenhagen, The Lakes, passes Trianglen, Copenhagen, Trianglen, ...

(now Dag Hammerskjolds Allé 28) for his own use in 1917. The building was designed by Carl Brummer and is known as "Little

Amalienborg Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Queen Magrethe ll lives here in winter and autumn. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo Rococo (, ...

". He was a skilled cricket player and an honorary member of Danske Studenters Roklub. He became

Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

in 1927 and was awarded the ' Cross of Honour (Dannebrogsmand'') in 1939. He died on 3 February 1949 and is buried in

Frederiksberg Old Cemetery Frederiksberg Church (Danish: Frederiksberg Kirke) is the oldest church building in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Completed in 1734, it is built to an unusual octagonal design in Baroque style. It is situated at Frederiksberg ...

References

External links

Harald Simonsen
at geni.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Simonsen, Harald 1873 births 1949 deaths 20th-century Danish businesspeople Businesspeople from Copenhagen Danish businesspeople in timber Danish company founders Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog