The Consulate General of Sweden is the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It is located at

One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza is a skyscraper located at 885 Second Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is a tall skyscraper. It was designed by Emery Roth and developed by Lawrence Ruben. Named for Dag Hammarskjöld, it was complet ...

in Turtle Bay,

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, near the

headquarters of the United Nations , image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004 (cropped).jpg , image_size = 275px , caption = View of the complex from Long Island City in 2021; from left to right: the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buil ...

. The consulate general originated from the consulate opened in 1834, which was converted into an consulate general in 1914. The consulate general's district includes the states of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, and

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. The consulate general offers various consular services like passport applications, citizenship matters, and name registration, alongside providing assistance to Swedes in emergencies. It also works on fostering cultural and economic ties, organizing events to promote Swedish culture in the

northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

. Additionally, it facilitates information sharing about Sweden, and promotes exchanges between Swedish and American organizations.

History

The consulate here, established as a result of the Chancellery and Collegium of Commerce's request on October 14, 1799, originally covered the states of

and

. However, in 1834, it merged with the consulate general for the United States of North America, a responsibility assigned to the Swedish mission in the United States since 1822, relocating from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in that year (1834). Before 1833, the consul general, who received a salary of 4,000 Riksdaler banco, had no right to collect consulate fees from Swedish vessels. Still, according to the decision of

King in Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it refers to the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of app ...

on March 13, 1822, they received two Spanish

piasters The piastre or piaster () is any of a number of units of currency. The term originates from the Italian for "thin metal plate". The name was applied to Spanish and Hispanic American pieces of eight, or pesos, by Venetian traders in the Lev ...

for each issued certificate. By royal decree on May 25, 1850, the consulate general encompassed the entire union, excluding

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. However, in connection with a royal decree on June 15, 1858, the mission moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

. Simultaneously, it was stipulated that a separate consulate should be established in New York City, covering the same states as a district, with an office budget of 500 Riksdaler banco. This amount was increased to 1,000 on November 15, 1867, and to 1,500 on November 11, 1870, in the same currency. By royal decree on July 1, 1886, a paid vice consul was appointed alongside the consul, initially earning 6,000

Swedish kronor The krona (; plural: ''kronor''; currency sign, sign: kr; ISO 4217, code: SEK) is the currency of Sweden. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use for the krona; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usual ...

. Still, on November 17, 1899, it was raised to 9,000 kronor and, since August 28, 1908, to 12,000 kronor. Through a royal decree on December 5, 1890, the consulate also became salaried (salary of 30,000 kronor), and its district expanded to include, besides the state of New York, all seaports in the states located along the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. After the

dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden The dissolution of the union (; ; Høgnorsk, Landsmål: ''unionsuppløysingi''; ) between the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden under the House of Bernadotte, was set in motion by a resolution of the Storting on 7 June 1905. Following some months of ...

the consulate salary was withdrawn, and the consulate was initially filled only by an appointed unpaid consul who received office support (initially 8,000, but after September 28, 1907, only 4,000 kronor; the salaried vice consulate, however, was retained. According to a royal decree on August 28, 1908, the consulate was again salaried (salary of 24,000 kronor plus 6,000 kronor in office expenses) and includes a district consisting of the states of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, New York,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, as well as the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. At the 1913

Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...

, King in Council's proposal for transforming the consulate into a consulate general and raising the salary to 28,000 kronor was approved. On January 1, 1914, the consulate was upgraded to a consulate general. On July 1, 1992, the Swedish Information Service, was integrated with the Swedish Consulate General in New York City. In 2010, the general consulate - a mission with about 25 employees, diplomats as well as local employees - was closed for budgetary reasons. In connection with this, the smaller Swedish honorary consulate general opened. Prime Minister

Stefan Löfven Kjell Stefan Löfven (; officially Löfvén; born 21 July 1957) is a Swedish politician who has served as the President of European Socialists since October 2022. He previously served as Prime Minister of Sweden from October 2014 to November 20 ...

announced in November 2014 that Sweden would re-open a general consulate in New York City, then no earlier than fall of 2015. On October 29, 2015, the Swedish government decided to upgrade the Swedish presence in New York City by opening a consulate general. The new mission was staffed by two people from the

Ministry for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral rela ...

and a number of local employees. On January 27, 2016, Sweden's new consulate general in New York City was inaugurated in a ceremony with, among others, Minister of Enterprise and Innovation

Mikael Damberg Lars Mikael Damberg ( born 13 October 1971) is a Swedish politician of the Social Democratic Party. He served as Minister for Finance from 2021 to 2022. He previously served as Minister for Enterprise from October 2014 to January 2019 and as mi ...

, Sweden's new consul general

Leif Pagrotsky Leif Pagrotsky (born 20 October 1951 in Gothenburg) is a Swedish politician, economist, and diplomat. He served as minister of culture from 2004 to 2006 and minister for industry, employment and communications from 2002 to 2004 under Prime Minis ...

, ambassador , Deputy Commissioner Hillary Schrenell and outgoing honorary consul general David E.R. Dangoor.

Tasks

The consulate general provides consular services, including passport applications, citizenship issues, name registration, and application for co-ordination numbers (''samordningsnummer''). It also includes offering advice and support to Swedes in emergency situations. The consulate general works on promoting cultural and economic relations. The consulate general organizes and supports activities to promote

Swedish culture The Culture of Sweden is characterised by its art, music, dance, literature, traditions, religious practices and more. It is similar to but distinct from the cultures of neighboring countries. Sweden's modern history has a well-established tradi ...

and interests in the northeastern the United States. The consulate general assists the public and media with information about Sweden, as well as promotes exchanges between organizations, companies, and institutions in Sweden and the United States.

District

The district of the consulate general, at least from 1969 to 1975, included, in addition to the city of

, the states of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

(except the

Florida panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

), and the

, as well as

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and Saint Thomas. The states of

, as well as the Florida panhandle belonged to the

Consulate General of Sweden, Houston The Consulate General of Sweden, Houston was the diplomatic mission of Sweden in Houston between 1963 and 1981. The consulate general originated from the consulate opened in 1950, which was converted into a consulate general in 1963. Its tasks wer ...

until 1975. From 1976 they belonged to the Consulate General in the New York City district. In the same year, the states of Kentucky and Tennessee were transferred to the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago. In 1979, the states except Florida reverted to the Consulate General in Houston. From 1982, they were responsible for the entire

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

. The Consulate General in Houston closed in 1982 and from 1983 the Consulate General in New York City was again responsible for the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi as well as the newly added Arkansas, but not Texas. In 1993, the Swedish Consulate General in Chicago closed, so the following year the Consulate General in New York City took over the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. In 1995, the Consulate General of Sweden, Los Angeles closed and the Consulate General in New York City became Sweden's only remaining consulate general in the USA. The district then came to include the entire United States. As of October 31, 2023, the consulate general's district includes the states of

, and

Buildings

Chancery

On April 12, 1899, the Swedish-Norwegian consulate relocated to 17 State Street in the

Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies, and other related finance corporations have their headquarters offices. In major cities, financial districts often host ...

. In January 1906, it was reported that the Swedish consulate had moved to Room 1006 at 17 State Street. The consulate remained at the same address until 1919. In 1920, it was located at 119 Nassau Street in the Financial District. From 1921 to 1922, it was situated at 6 Beekman Street in the Financial District. In 1923, it moved to Room 5838, Grand Central Terminal Building, 70 East 45th Street. The consulate general remained there until February 28, 1931. From March 1, 1931, to 1936, the consulate general was located in the

Chrysler Building The Chrysler Building is a , Art Deco skyscraper in the East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Located at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, it is the tallest brick building in the world wit ...

at 405

Lexington Avenue Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side (Manhattan), East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street (Manhattan), 131st Street to Gra ...

in Midtown. From 1937 to 1947, the consulate general was situated in Room 1118, International Building,

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 14 original Art De ...

at 630

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

. In 1948, the consulate general moved to 61 East 64th Street in

Lenox Hill Lenox Hill () is a neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It forms the lower (southern) section of the Upper East Side, east of Park Avenue in the 60s and 70s. A significant portion of the neighborhood lies withi ...

on the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

. The consulate general remained there for over 20 years, until 1969. In 1970, the consulate general moved to the 39th floor at 825

Third Avenue Third Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, as well as in the center portion of the Bronx. Its southern end is at Astor Place and St. Mark's Place. It transitions into Cooper Square ...

Midtown East Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

. In 1976, it moved down to the 38th floor, where it remained until 1989. In 1990, it moved to the 45th floor of

at 885 Second Avenue. It remained there until 2009 when the consulate general closed. When the honorary consulate general opened in 2010, the

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

moved to 445 Park Avenue between 56th Street and 57th Street, for the reason that the honorary consul general David E.R. Dangoor already had offices in this building. After the upgrade to consulate general in December 2016, the consulate general's address became 445 Park Avenue until further notice. Since 2017, the chancery is again located at One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, but on the 40th floor. File:Chrysler Building, New York - panoramio.jpg,

405

,
(1931–1936) File:Rockefeller-Center3.jpg, International Building
630 Fifth Avenue
(1937–1947) File:Wikigap 2022 NYC (11).jpg, 61 East 64th Street (left)
(1948–1969) File:51st St 3rd Av td 07 - 825 Third Avenue.jpg, 825 Third Avenue
(1970–1989) File:1-dag.jpg,
885 Second Avenue
(1990–2009, 2017–present)

Residence

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Swedish state looked for a residence building for the Swedish consul general. In 1946, the house at 600 Park Avenue was purchased for this reason. When the properties on 61-63 East 64th Street were for sale, the consulate were given the opportunity to make room for the consulate general and staff housing. This meant that a refurbishment of the interiors of the houses was necessary. The staff moved in during 1947. Shortly thereafter, the properties 604 and 608 Park Avenue were also acquired. The consulate general's business expanded considerably and in 1965 the Ministry for Foreign Affairs decided to move the office functions to more modern office premises. The buildings have since 1981 been classified as "landmark", ie buildings with a historical value whose exteriors may not change. In 1984-85, the National Swedish Board of Public Building (''Byggnadsstyrelsen''), the

National Property Board of Sweden The National Property Board of Sweden (, SFV) is a Swedish State administrative authority, organised under the Ministry of Finance. SFV is responsible for managing a portion of the real property assets owned by the State. The portfolio consists ...

's predecessor, carried out a thorough rebuilding of the four houses in order to achieve a functional housing for the consul general and as many apartments as possible. The construction work started in August 1984 and the houses were ready for occupancy in the fall of 1985. After the renovation, the properties had a total of 21 apartments, laundry rooms, storage rooms and a sauna. Well-known Swedish designers such as

Carl Malmsten Carl Malmsten (December 7, 1888 – August 13, 1972) was a Sweden, Swedish furniture designer, architect, and educator who was known for his devotion to traditional Swedish craftmanship (''slöjd'') and his opposition to Functionalism (architec ...

, Josef Frank,

Carl-Axel Acking Carl-Axel Acking (March 8, 1910 – June 12, 2001) was a Swedish architect, author and furniture designer, winner of the Lunning Prize in 1952. Notable works *1950 Siris kapell in Torsby *1955 in Stockholm *1956 "Quality Hotel" Östersund ...

and Ingegerd Torhamn are represented in the interior. The works also included renovation of the facades. The property, registered as 600, 604 and 608 Park Avenue and 61-63 East 64th Street, houses housing for Swedish personnel. In 2011–2013, the National Property Board of Sweden renovated the property after an ambitious care program with the aim of highlighting the cultural-historical values that were lost during previous renovations. The National Property Board of Sweden completed the major renovation of 600 Park Avenue with the renovation of adjacent facades and windows in 2014. For some time, the property was the residence of the Swedish UN ambassador. File:Swedish Consulate 600 Pk Av 2019 jeh.jpg, 600

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a boulevard in New York City that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the wes ...

and East 64th Street File:Jonathan Buckley House Swedish Consulate 600 Park Avenue entrance.jpg, Entrance to the property on 600 Park Avenue and East 64th Street

History

Tasks

District

Buildings

Chancery

Residence

Heads of Mission

See also

References

Notes

Print

External links