Chicago Norske Klub
Encyclopedia
Chicago Norske Klub was a Chicago, Illinois based Norwegian-American cultural and social organization.
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.
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
.
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.
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
Logan Square, Chicago
Logan Square is one of the 77 city-designated community areas located on the near northwest side of the City of Chicago. The name, used here to describe the community area defined by U.S. census tracts, also applies to one of a number of smaller, more loosely defined residential neighborhoods...
on Kedzie Avenue through financing arranged by the State Bank of Chicago
State Bank of Chicago
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,...
and through the initiative of Birger Osland, a Chicago investment banker.
Operations
Emil BiornEmil Biorn
Emil Biorn was an Norwegian-born, American sculptor, painter and composer.-Background:Emil Bjørn was born in Christiania, Norway. He was trained at both the Royal Norwegian School of Drawing and at Lindeman's School of Music in Oslo...
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
Benjamin Blessum
Benjamin Blessum was an American painter, graphic artist and illustrator. He was primarily known for his Norwegian landscapes.-Background:...
, Carl L. Boeckmann
Carl L. Boeckmann
Carl Ludwig Boeckmann was a Norwegian-American artist best known as a portrait painter.-Biography:Boeckmann was born in Oslo, Norway, the youngest of five children. In 1883, he began to study at Knud Bergslien's school of painting...
, Lars Fletre
Lars Fletre
Lars Fletre was a prominent Norwegian-American sculptor.-Biography:Lars Olavson Fletre was born in Vossestrand, Voss, Hordaland, Norway. He was the son of Ola Oddson Fletre and Kristine Olsdatter ytre Kvårmo....
, Alexander Grinager
Alexander Grinager
Alexander Grinager was an American artist most noted for his murals and scenic painting.-Background:Alexander Grinager was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota, the son of Mons and Anna Egge Grinager. His parents had immigrated from the district of Hadeland, Norway...
, Arvid Nyholm
Arvid Nyholm
Arvid Frederick Nyholm was a Swedish-American artist, known primarily as a portrait and landscape painter.-Background:...
, Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt
Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt
Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt was a Swedish-American artist who painted seascapes and depictions of New Mexico's indigenous culture.-Background:...
, Karl Ouren
Karl Ouren
Karl Ouren was an American artist best known for his paintings of Norwegian landscapes and scenes, particularly those featuring winter and snow.-Background:...
and Svend Rasmussen Svendsen
Svend Rasmussen Svendsen
Svend Rasmussen Svendsen was a Norwegian American impressionist artist. Svendsen is most known for his rural scenes, marine views, and snowy landscapes of Norway.-Background:...
.
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
Sons of Norway
Sons of Norway is a fraternal organization representing people of Norwegian heritage in the United States and Canada. It describes its mission as "to promote and to preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic Countries, and provide quality...
in 1971.
Guest speakers
The club featured a number of notable guest speakers during the course of its existence.- General Leonard Wood
- Jane AddamsJane AddamsJane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
- Queen Marie of RomaniaMaria of RomaniaMaria of Yugoslavia was the Queen consort of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. She was originally a princess of Romania.-Early life:She was born in Gotha, Thuringia, in Germany, during the reigns of her maternal grandfather Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and her grand-uncle King Carol I of...
- Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha of Norway
- Fridtjof NansenFridtjof NansenFridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
- Roald AmundsenRoald AmundsenRoald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
- Carl J. Hambro
- Johan BojerJohan BojerJohan Bojer was a popular Norwegian novelist and dramatist. He principally wrote about the lives of the poor farmers and fishermen, both in his native Norway and among the Norwegian immigrants in the United States.-Biography:...
- Ole Rolvaag
Sources
The best sources of information about the Chicago Norske Klub are two booklets, one published on the occasion of the dedication of its new club house in 1917, the other in 1930 in observance of the organization's fortieth anniversary: Chicago Norske Klub, Historical Sketch (Chicago: 1917) and Chicago Norske Klub, 1890-1930 (Chicago, 1930).Other sources
- Haugan, Reidar Rye. Prominent Artists and Exhibits of Their Work in Chicago (Chicago Norske Klub. Nordmanns-Forbundet, 24: 371-374, Volume 7, 1933)
- Heitmann, Helen M. From Fjord to Prairie: Norwegian-Americans in the Midwest, 1825-1975. Chicago, IL: Norwegian-American Immigration Anniversary Commission, 1976
- Strand, A. E. A History of the Norwegians in Illinois. Chicago, IL: John Anderson Publishing Co., 1905
