Scandinavia House – The Nordic Center in America is
the American-Scandinavian Foundation
The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) is an American non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting international understanding through educational and cultural exchange between the United States and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Swede ...
's cultural center at 58
Park Avenue
Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...
(between East 37th Street and East 38th Street), in
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Murray Hill is a neighborhood on the east side of Manhattan in New York City. Murray Hill is generally bordered to the east by the East River or Kips Bay and to the west by Midtown Manhattan, though the exact boundaries are disputed. Murray Hil ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. It is dedicated to preserving the history of the
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n and
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
through exhibits and programming.
This cultural center hosts exhibitions of fine art, design as well as performing arts pieces from Nordic countries. The center also introduces the local population and guests with Scandinavian languages and customs by organizing courses.
The Nordic Center was designed by architect
James Stewart Polshek
James Stewart Polshek (February 11, 1930September 9, 2022) was an American architect based in New York City. He was the founder of Polshek Partnership, the firm at which he was the principal design partner for more than four decades. He worked ...
and opened to the public in 2000
with a visit from
King Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973.
He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...
and
Queen Silvia
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
of Sweden and their eldest daughter,
Princess Victoria, Princess
Martha Louise of Norway, and
Princess Benedikte of Denmark
Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of Frederick IX of Denmark, King Frederi ...
.
History
Scandinavia House, located on 58 Park Avenue, Manhattan, was opened in 2000 by the American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) as a center for Nordic culture in the United States. The building was the first permanent location of ASF after a decade of moving between several addresses. Construction of the new building cost around $13 million.
According to the ASF website, more than 1.5 million people have visited since then.
The previous building in this location was a 1909 French
neoclassical building finished with limestone. It was owned by
Grace Rainey Rogers until her death in 1943.
Her house was built by real estate developer
Horace Trumbauer
Horace Trumbauer (December 28, 1868 – September 18, 1938) was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of ...
from Philadelphia. His chief designer was the first African American architect,
Julian Francis Abele. During the last decades of the 20th century, the house served as the United Nations mission of the German Democratic Republic. ASF bought it together with the plot of land for $5 million in 1996. Polshek Partnership Architects was contracted to design the new and modern Scandinavia House
According to the ''New York Times'', the president of the ASF, Edward P. Gallagher, stated that it was a "fully public building".
It offers a wide range of programs that illuminate the culture and vitality of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Scandinavia House offerings include diverse exhibitions and film series, as well as concerts and other performances, readings, lectures, symposia, language courses, and children's activities.
Building
The building is designed in the
International Style characteristic of the late 1990s to the early 2000s. It was designed by
Polshek Partnership
Ennead Architects LLP (/ˈenēˌad/) is a New York City-based architectural firm. The firm was founded in 1963 by James Polshek, who left the firm in 2005 when it was known as Polshek Partnership. The firm's partners renamed their practice in mi ...
Architects (now Ennead Architects). It has six floors above the ground and two floors below, and is wide. The building is detailed in minimalist Scandinavian design; the facade is finished with gray and light blue zinc and glass. Initially, it was supposed to be partly covered with wood, a typical building material from Scandinavia, although this idea was later abandoned.
The aim of the building is to exhibit Scandinavian building materials, technological advancement and open, easy-to-transform space. Scandinavia House includes the 168-seat
Victor Borge
Børge Rosenbaum (3 January 1909 – 23 December 2000), known professionally as Victor Borge ( ), was a Danish-American comedian, conductor, and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in the North America and Europe. His ...
Hall for performances, lectures, and film screenings, a 3rd Floor Gallery presenting ongoing exhibitions of major artists from the Nordic countries, the Heimbold Family Children's Learning Center, which offers regular programs and activities for children and families, and the Halldór Laxness Library.
Lower level
The Victor Borge Hall combines the best in Scandinavian design with state-of-the-art technology, and can accommodate 168 seated guests. Programming in the hall includes a variety of symposiums, lectures, presentations, concerts, and performances, as well as film screenings each season.
Main floor
The F. Donald Kenney Reception Area and Taplin Café is a 2,200 square foot space located on the main level of Scandinavia House, overlooking
Park Avenue
Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...
, that houses restaurant Smörgås Chef. It runs almost the entire length of the main floor, and has an open plan and transparent space. The street-scape can be seen from inside and from street, people can see in the building. It is a common design of late modernism. There is a small gift shop near its entrance which sells Scandinavian design products along with souvenirs and sweets as well as a space in the back that sells clothing, jewelry, books, and textiles.
Second floor
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
Hall is a bright, dramatic space with glass walls to its east and west overlooking Park Avenue. It has an adjoining garden terrace with quartzite stone and wood details, offers a setting for outdoor receptions and meeting breaks. Volvo Hall can accommodate up to 250 guests for receptions and 120 for seated dining. The hall is used as showroom space, a place for fashion shows, presentation space, and official gatherings. It houses social events and educational programs carried out by ASF. On this floor there is also an outdoor
Wallenius Wallenius is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Asser Wallenius (1902–1971), Finnish speed skater and racing driver who competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics
* Bror-Erik Wallenius (born 1943), Finnish sports commentator who work ...
terrace for serving guests of the Scandinavian House during summer.
Third floor
The
Stolt-Nielsen
Stolt-Nielsen Limited (SNL) provides transportation and storage for liquids, notably specialty and bulk liquid chemicals. It also has an aquaculture division that grows turbot and other fish and fish products.
Founded in 1959, corporate services ...
,
Gundersen, Ginsberg, and
Leif Hoegh Galleries are used for exhibitions of the best Scandinavian painting, sculpture, photography, and design. Exhibitions have included solo exhibitions of noted Nordic artists such as Edvard Munch and Vilhelm Hammershøi, as well group exhibitions presenting major artworks from each of the Nordic countries. Exhibitions are presented alongside related programming including symposia, panel discussions, films, lectures, and art workshops.
Fourth floor
The
Halldór Laxness
Halldór Kiljan Laxness (; born Halldór Guðjónsson; 23 April 1902 – 8 February 1998) was an Icelandic writer and winner of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote novels, poetry, newspaper articles, essays, plays, travelogues and s ...
Library is furnished in classic
Scandinavian design
Scandinavian design is a design movement characterized by simplicity, minimalism and functionality that emerged in the early 20th century, and subsequently flourished in the 1950s throughout the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway, ...
. Huge windows overlook Park Avenue, offering an excellent vista of New York landmarks. Computers with internet access are available and a small reading area is adjacent to the main part of the room.
The Heimbold Family Children's Playing and Learning Center is open during the week to children's center members, and open to the public on Saturdays.
Fifth and sixth floors
The American-Scandinavian Foundation and Scandinavia House offices are located on the fifth and sixth floor. Located on these floors are the
Statoil
Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian state owned enterprise, state-owned multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger. It is primarily a petroleum company, petroleum company, operating in 36 countries with ad ...
and
Teekay
Teekay specialise in shipping crude oil.
History
Teekay was founded in 1973 by Torben Karlshoej, then a 31 year old Danish ship broker who had emigrated to the United States at the age of 20 and mostly worked on farms. The company was named "TK ...
Conference Rooms and the
Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation Seminar Room.
Restaurant
Located on the first floor of Scandinavia House is
Smorgas Chef, a full-service restaurant that is operated by Morten Sohlberg. This restaurant previously operated two more facilities in Wall Street and West Village, but as of 2017 these are now closed. The restaurant uses ingredients from its own farm, the
Blenheim Hill Farm in Catskills, which has been in operation since the 1740s.
Financing
Scandinavia House has up to 300 donors from the U.S. and abroad. Among them are individuals, corporations, and foundations, as well as the Nordic governments and the
Nordic Council of Ministers
The Nordic Council of Ministers is an intergovernmental forum established after the Helsinki Treaty. The purpose of the Nordic Council of Ministers is to complement the Nordic Council and promote Nordic cooperation.
Structure
The governme ...
.
The American Scandinavian Foundation
Scandinavian House is under the management of the American-Scandinavian Foundation which was founded by
Niels Poulson. Poulson was a Danish-American who owned a successful iron manufacturing company, Pulsen & Eger whose name was later changed to Heckla, after an active Volcano in Iceland. In 1910, he founded ASF (initially known as American Scandinavian Society) which was a publicly funded, non-profit organization. The aim of the organization was to support cultural activities by funding a wide array of fellowships, grants, internships, and published materials.
ASF was one of the first non-governmental organizations to promote cultural relations between countries.
The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees of individuals from the United States and Scandinavia, representing diverse interests yet linked by personal or professional ties to the Scandinavian countries. The five Nordic Heads of State serve as the organization's patrons -
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973.
He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...
,
Harald V of Norway
Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991.
Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the lin ...
,
Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...
,
Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, and
Sauli Ninistö.
References
External links
Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scandinavia House - The Nordic Center in America
2000 establishments in New York City
Art museums and galleries in New York City
Cultural centers in New York City
Danish-American culture
Ethnic museums in New York City
European-American museums
Finnish-American culture
Icelandic-American history
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Museums established in 2000
Museums in Manhattan
Non-profit organizations based in New York City
Norwegian-American culture in New York (state)
Scandinavian-American culture
Society museums in New York (state)
Swedish-American culture in New York (state)