Thorkild Henningsen (7 February 1884 – 27 January 1931) 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 a ...

architect. He is best known for his design of numerous terraced housing developments, especially Bakkehusene at

Bellahøj Bellahøj is an area situated 5 kilometres to the northwest of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It features the Bellahøj Houses, a functionalist housing project, as well as parkland with an open-air theatre. The 37 metre high hill situated in Bellah� ...

whish is listed on the Danish Registry of Protected buildings and Places. In spite of his early death, he also had a significant influence on Danish residential architecture of the 1920s through his work for Landsforeningen Bedre Byggeskik as well as through his writings in newspapers, architectural journals and ''Kritisk Revy''.

Early life and education

Henningsen was born on 7 February 1884 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 painter

Frants Henningsen Frants Peter Diderik Henningsen (22 June 1850, Copenhagen – 20 March 1908, Copenhagen) was a Danish painter, illustrator and professor. His paintings depict unfortunate occurrences in the lives of middle-class people living in Copenhagen during ...

(1850–1908) and Thora Vermehren (1859–1943). He attended Teknisk selskabs skole og Gustav og Sophus Vermehrens Forberedelsesskole before enrolling at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

in 1903. He left the Academy after a few years without graduating, and was instead trained in H. Storck's architectural practice. After joining

Heinrich Wenck Heinrich (Henry) Emil Charles Wenck (10 March 1851 – 3 February 1936) was a Danish architect, known for the numerous railway stations he designed in his capacity of chief architect for the Danish State Railways from 1894 to 1921. During the yea ...

's office, he became part of a group of young, like-minded architects which also included

Povl Baumann Povl Erik Raimund Baumann (9 November 1878 – 3 July 1963) was a Danish architect who was a central figure during the transition from Neoclassicism to Functionalism in Danish residential architecture. In 1910, he was one of the founders of ''De ...

, Hans Koch and Carl Petersen. They founded Den Frie Arkitektforening in 1909. Henningsen spent 1912–19 in France, working first as a draughtsman for Viggo Dorph-Petersen in

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

and later in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. During

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 ...

, in Paris, he took part in the Danish Red Cross's work in the city.

Career

Back in Denmark in 1919, Henningsen established his own architectural practice. He was initially also active in Landsforeningen Bedre Byggeskik. Bakkehusene, a terraced housing development at

, designed in collaboration with Ivar Bentsen, was a breakthrough for him. It was followed by a number of similar developments, including the terraces at Saltværksvej (1924), Sundvænget (1925), Bernstorffsvej (1927–28), Damvænget (1928) and Fuglebakken (1928). Other developments consisted of 2- and 3-storey townhouses, such as Østbanegade 33–43,

Godthåbsvej Godthåbsvej is a street in the northwestern part of Copenhagen, Denmark. It begins at Bülowsvej in Frederiksberg as the direct continuation of Rosenørns Allé/Rolighedsvej and passes through Vanløse before reaching Bellahøj in Brønshøj. A me ...

182–220, Store Bakkehuse, Godthåbsvej 260–70 and Vendsysselhus, Vendsysselvej 3–37. Other works of Hennningsen's include the apartment blocks at

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, ...

87–93,

Strandboulevarden Strandboulevarden (literally "Beach Boulevard") is a major street in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Fridtjof Nansens Plads as in the south to Østerbrogade in the north, linking Kristianiagade with Jagtvej. History Dec ...

8–18 and H. C. Ørsteds Vej 5–7. The villa at Ehlersvej 13 in

Hellerup Hellerup () is a very affluent district of Gentofte Municipality in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The most urban part of the district is centred on Strandvejen and is bordered by Østerbro to the south and the Øresund to the east. It compri ...

shows the influence of the Neoclassical style that had become popular among his friends by the time he returned from Paris. Henningsen was also active as a commentator in various newspapers and architectural journals. He wrote for ''

Kritisk Revy ''Kritisk Revy'' (Danish: ''Critical Review'') was a quarterly architecture magazine. It was briefly published between 1926 and 1928 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The magazine played a significant role in developing avant-garde culture in Scandinavia ...

'' in 1926–28.

Personal life

Henningsen married Grete Ewald (23 October 1896–11 February 1970), a daughter of the writer

Carl Ewald Carl Ewald (, 15 October 185623 February 1908) was a Danish novelist and satirist known for his fairy tales. Biography Carl Ewald was born on 15 October 1856 in Bredelykke by Gram in the Duchy of Schleswig (present-day Denmark). He was name ...

(1856–1908) and Betty Ponsaing (1859–1943), on 5 December 1911 in Copenhagen. He died at the age of only 49 on 27 January 1931 in Copenhagen, and is buried at

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery ( da, Vestre Kirkegård, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscape ...

References

External links

Thorkild Henningsen
at

Kunstindeks Danmark ''Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon'' (Weilbach's Biographical Dictionary of Artists) is a Danish biographical dictionary of artists and architects. The current edition, which is also freely accessible online, contains the biographies of some 8,000 Danis ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henningsen, Thorkild 20th-century Danish architects Architects from Copenhagen 1884 births 1931 deaths