Holger Jacobsen (30 October 1876 – 27 March 1960) was a Danish architect. His best known work is Stærekassen, an extension to the Royal Danish Theatre on Kongens Nytorv 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 ...

Biography

Holger Jacobsen was born on 30 October 1876 in Odense. He apprenticed as a carpenter and furthered his studies at Odense Technical School before attending the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1898 to 1905 where he was a pupil of Hans Jørgen Holm for whom he also worked as an assistant. After his graduation he worked abroad for a couple of years, and was influenced by the Mannerism and

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

which he saw in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Another source of inspiration was

Vilhelm Wanscher Vilhelm is a masculine given name, the Scandinavian form of William and Wilhelm. Notable people with the name include: * Vilhelm Ahlmann (1852-1928), Danish-Swedish architect * Vilhelm Andersen (1864–1953), Danish author, literary historian and ...

's lectures on

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was in ...

. He later described himself as the "last Italian in Danish architecture". Jacobsen had his breakthrough with Bispebjerg Crematorium which was built from 1905 to 1906. Another early work was Taastrup New Church (1907) which was inspired by the architecture of northern Italy but in its details and interiors shows Jugendstil influences. He also undertook the rebuilding of the Circus Building in

after it was devastated by fire in 1914 and led the completion of the new Copenhagen Police Headquarters (1922–24) after Hack Kampmann's death. In 1925, Jacobsen published a proposal for an extension to the Royal Danish Theatre which had been suffering from lack of space ever since its inauguration in 1874. He was rewarded with the

C. F. Hansen Medal The C. F. Hansen Medal (Danish: C. F. Hansens Medaille) is awarded annually with few exceptions to one or more recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts for an outstanding contribution to architecture. It is the Academy's highest obtainabl ...

the same year and when an architectural competition was held he won it with a modified entry which included two extra stories with facilities for the new National Danish Broadcasting Company. The building, which became known as the

Nesting Box Nesting may refer to: Science and technology * Building or having a nest ** Nesting instinct, an instinct in pregnant animals to prepare a home for offspring * Nesting (computing), a concept of information organized recursively * Nesting (proce ...

, was met with strong criticism, especially by

Poul Henningsen Poul Henningsen (9 September 1894 – 31 January 1967) was a Danish author, critic, architect, and designer. In Denmark, where he often is referred to simply as PH, he was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the Worl ...

and his consorts in the influential magazine Critical Review. From its opening in 1931, it was also challenged in terms of functionality. His later works consists of mainly residential and some office buildings.

Selected buildings

* Missionshus, Reerslev (1906) * Bispebjerg Crematory, Nispebjerg, Copenhagen (1906–07, extended in 1905-06 and 1932–34) * Taastrup New Church, Taastrup (1907) * Forstædernes Bank,

Glostrup Glostrup is a Danish town in Region Hovedstaden, forming one of the western suburbs of Copenhagen. It is the administrative seat of Glostrup Municipality, with an estimated population of 22,357 . During the 20th century Glostrup developed fr ...

(1907) * East Chapel,

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 land ...

, Copenhagen (1912–13) * Circus Building (rebuilding), Copenhagen (1914) * Community house, Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen (1915) * Office building (alteration),

Assistens Cemetery Assistens Cemetery ( da, Assistens Kirkegård) is the name of a number of cemeteries in Denmark. The common nominator is, as the first part of the name implies (Latin: ''assistens'' meaning assisting), an assisting cemetery for a town's churches. ...

, Copenhagen (1916) * Hunting lodge, Glimminge, Sweden (1917) * Public housing, Birups Allé/Mågevej, Copenhagen (1918) * Own summer house, Gilleleje (1919) * Chapel and crematory, Sundby Cemetery, Copenhagen (1924) * Own house, 6 Rosbæksvej, Copenhagen (1926) * Villa, 1 Ceresvej

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...

, Copenhagen (1928) * Stærekassen, Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen (1828–31, listed in 1995) * Aarhus Privatbank, Århus (1930)

Gallery

Image:Bispebjerg Kirkegård 2005-02.jpg, Bispebjerg Crematory, Copenhagen, 1906 Image:Taastrup Nykirke Denmark 3.jpg, Taastrup New Church, Taastrup (1907) Image:Stærekassen, Copenhagen 2010.jpg, Stærekassen, Copenhagen (1931)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobsen, Holger Danish architects Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni People from Odense 1876 births 1960 deaths Recipients of the C.F. Hansen Medal

Biography

Selected buildings

Gallery

See also

References