Background
Chicago Norske Klub was founded in 1911 through the merger of two prior organizations which had dated to 1890, the Norwegian Club in Chicago (Den Norske Klub i Chicago) and the Norwegian Quartet Club (Den Norske Kvartet Klub).
Its membership consisted largely of businessmen and professionals including a number of graduates of Norwegian technical schools. Programs were aimed at sociability and fellowship. The Chicago Norske Klub established premises near Logan Square on Kedzie Avenue through financing arranged by the State Bank of Chicago and through the initiative of Birger Osland, a Chicago investment banker. [1]
Logan Square is an official community area, historical neighborhood, and public square located on the northwest side of the City of Chicago. The Logan Square community area is one of the 77 city-designated community areas established for planning purposes. The Logan Square neighborhood, located within the Logan Square community area, is centered on the public square that serves as its namesake, located at the three-way intersection of Milwaukee Avenue, Logan Boulevard and Kedzie Boulevard.
State Bank of Chicago was an American banking firm which conducted business under a state of Illinois charter issued on February 10, 1891. State Bank of Chicago operated from offices in the Chamber of Commerce Building located at the southeast corner of La Salle and Washington streets in Chicago, Illinois. State Bank of Chicago was a successor to the private banking partnership of Haugan & Lindgren, Bankers which had been in operation since 1879. Haugan & Lindgren had been housed at No. 57 and No. 59 La Salle Street, Chicago. That bank was founded by Norwegian born Helge Alexander Haugan and his partner John R. Lindgren. It had initially focused on the large population of Scandinavian residents within the Chicago area.
Operations
Emil Biorn was the instructor and leader of a chorus and an orchestra for a number of years. The Dramatic Society was founded in 1919. In 1920, an annual art exhibit was started. The club was noted for its collection of fine art principally by Norwegian-American artists. Among others, featured artists included Sigvald Asbjørnsen, Benjamin Blessum, Carl L. Boeckmann, Lars Fletre, Alexander Grinager, Arvid Nyholm, Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt, Karl Ouren and Svend Rasmussen Svendsen.
Emil Biorn was a Norwegian-born, American sculptor, painter and composer.
Sigvald Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian-born American sculptor.
Benjamin Blessum was an American painter, graphic artist and illustrator. He was primarily known for his Norwegian landscapes.
The Chicago Norske Klub was also the site of a convention sponsored by the Norwegian-American Technical Society of Chicago. The club ended operation and sold its building to a lodge of the Sons of Norway in 1971. [2]
Sons of Norway, founded in 1895 as the Independent Order of the Sons of Norway, is a fraternal organization principally representing people of Norwegian heritage in the United States and Canada. The organization includes in its mission the promotion and preservation of the heritage and culture of Norway and other Nordic countries and to provide life insurance and other financial products to its members. The organization is classified as a non-profit 501(c)(8) fraternal beneficiary society.
Jonas Lie was a Norwegian-born American painter. He is best known for colorful paintings of coastlines of New England and city scenes of New York City.
Hjalmar Rued Holand was a Norwegian-American historian and author. He was the author of a number of books and numerous articles principally dealing with the history of Door County, Wisconsin, of the Upper Midwest and with Norwegian-American immigration.
Swedish Americans are Americans of at least partial Swedish ancestry. They primarily include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1885–1915 and their descendants. They formed tight-knit communities, primarily in the American Midwest, and intermarried with other Swedish-Americans. Most were Lutheran Christians with origins in the state Church of Sweden who were affiliated with predecessor bodies of what are now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) from the mergers of 1988 or the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (1847), or the recent North American Lutheran Church (NALC) of 2010; some were Methodists following Wesleyan doctrine.
Norwegian-American Historical Association publishes scholarly books, documenting research and interpretations of the American experience of immigrants from Norway.
Carl Ludwig Boeckmann was a Norwegian-American artist best known as a portrait painter.
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States is a general term to describe the Lutheran church tradition developed within the United States by immigrants from Norway.
Carl Søyland was a Norwegian born, American author, reporter, editor and community leader.
Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt was an American artist who painted seascapes and depictions of New Mexico's indigenous culture.
Svend Rasmussen Svendsen was a Norwegian American impressionist artist. Svendsen is most known for his rural scenes, marine views, and snowy landscapes of Norway.
Alexander Grinager was an American artist most noted for his murals and scenic painting.
Karl Ouren was an American artist best known for his paintings of Norwegian landscapes and scenes, particularly those featuring winter and snow.
The Norse-American Centennial celebration was held at the Minnesota State Fair on June 6–9, 1925.
Carl Jeppesen was a Danish-born Norwegian worker, newspaper editor and politician. He edited the newspaper Social-Demokraten from 1887 to 1892, and from 1906 to 1912. He was among the founders of the Norwegian Labour Party, and served as chairman for two periods, from 1890 to 1892, and from 1894 to 1897. He was Mayor of Kristiania from 1917 to 1919.
Andreas Nilsen Rygg was a Norwegian-American journalist, newspaper editor and author. He is most associated with his 1941 study, Norwegians in New York 1825–1925.
Marie Løkke also Marie Loekke, Marie Mathiesen was a Norwegian born artist. She is most associated with her impressionist landscapes in oil.
Louis Frederick Grell was an American figure composition and portrait artist based in the Tree Studio resident artist colony in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He received his formal training in Europe from 1900 through 1915 and later became art professor at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts from 1916 to 1922, and at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1922 to 1934. Grell exhibited his works throughout Europe from 1905 to 1915, in San Francisco in 1907, and in Chicago at the Art Institute 25 times from 1917 to 1941. He exhibited in New York in 1915 and 1916 and in Philadelphia and Washington DC. Primarily an allegorical and figurative composition muralist and portrait painter, his creative strokes adorn the ceilings and walls of numerous US National Historic Landmark buildings.
The Swedish-American Art Association was founded on February 5, 1905 by a number of Chicago artists with the goal of promoting the work of Swedish-American artists. Sculptor Carl Johan Nilsson, was chosen as president. The Association was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois in 1905.
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