Sven Risom
Encyclopedia
Sven Julius Risom was a Danish
architect
who worked mainly in the style of Nordic Classicism
.
on November 3, 1880, the son of Johan Maria Risom (d. 1915) and Thalia Rothe (d. 1918). His father was a doctor at the Royal Danish Theatre
. Risom began his studies in Birkerød
in 1899, becoming a journeyman
carpenter
in 1902. After time at the Technical University of Denmark
(during which he studied under Gustav Vermehren and Emil Blichfeldt), he later attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, graduating with a degree in architecture
in 1909.
In the meantime, Risom had been employed in a number of architectural projects. From 1905 to 1906, he was employed by Hermann Baagøe Storck as co-supervisor (along with Andreas Clemmensen and Ulrik Plesner) of the restoration of St. Bendt's Church
in Ringsted
. Risom then worked for the Association of December 3, 1892, a group dedicated to historic preservation
, leading a 1906 survey of older Danish architecture. In 1907, he worked with Hother A. Paludan as co-supervisor of surveying and repair of old granite
churches in Jutland
. Risom opened his own architectural office in 1908.
Risom spent 1911-1913 at the French School at Athens, during which time he participated in the excavation of ancient Greek
artifacts. He spent 1914 touring Greece
, Norway
, and Sweden
. He would later tour France
in 1920.
On March 31, 1915, Risom married Inger Henriques (Copenhagen, March 29, 1888 — Hillerød, August 29, 1978), daughter of the writer Axel Henriques and Adelheid Fred Meyer. Their son, Jens Risom
(b. Copenhagen, May 8, 1916) would later emigrate to the United States
and become a renowned furniture designer.
Upon his return to Denmark
, Risom assisted Thorvald Jørgensen
in renovating the Royal Reception Rooms at the Christiansborg Palace
from 1915 to 1916.
In addition to his work as a practicing architect, Risom served as an external examiner of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1917; was a member of the board of the Architects' Association of Denmark
1920-21; and from 1933, oversaw the inventories of items at the inhabited residences of the Danish monarch
, for which service, he was made a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
.
Risom died in Hillerød
on March 24, 1971. He is buried in Holmens Cemetery
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
who worked mainly in the style of Nordic Classicism
Nordic Classicism
Nordic Classicism was a style of architecture that briefly blossomed in the Nordic countries between 1910 and 1930....
.
Biography
Sven Risom was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
on November 3, 1880, the son of Johan Maria Risom (d. 1915) and Thalia Rothe (d. 1918). His father was a doctor at the Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
. Risom began his studies in Birkerød
Birkerød
Birkerød is a town and was a municipality in Frederiksborg County on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark...
in 1899, becoming a journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
in 1902. After time at the Technical University of Denmark
Technical University of Denmark
The Technical University of Denmark , often simply referred to as DTU, is a university just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, and is today ranked among Europe's leading engineering institutions, and the...
(during which he studied under Gustav Vermehren and Emil Blichfeldt), he later attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, graduating with a degree in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in 1909.
In the meantime, Risom had been employed in a number of architectural projects. From 1905 to 1906, he was employed by Hermann Baagøe Storck as co-supervisor (along with Andreas Clemmensen and Ulrik Plesner) of the restoration of St. Bendt's Church
St. Bendt's Church
St. Bendt's is a church in Ringsted, Denmark, which was originally part of a Benedictine monastery that burnt down in the 18th century. Built in the Romanesque style, it is the oldest brick church in Scandinavia, dating back to about 1170 when it replaced a travertine church from about 1080. It is...
in Ringsted
Ringsted
Ringsted, a city in Ringsted municipality, is in the middle of the Danish island of Zealand. The municipal population is about 31,000 and the city population is 21,151 .Ringsted is approximately 60 km from Copenhagen.-Modern hotspot:...
. Risom then worked for the Association of December 3, 1892, a group dedicated to historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
, leading a 1906 survey of older Danish architecture. In 1907, he worked with Hother A. Paludan as co-supervisor of surveying and repair of old granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
churches in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
. Risom opened his own architectural office in 1908.
Risom spent 1911-1913 at the French School at Athens, during which time he participated in the excavation of ancient Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
artifacts. He spent 1914 touring Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He would later tour France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1920.
On March 31, 1915, Risom married Inger Henriques (Copenhagen, March 29, 1888 — Hillerød, August 29, 1978), daughter of the writer Axel Henriques and Adelheid Fred Meyer. Their son, Jens Risom
Jens Risom
Jens Risom is a Danish American furniture designer. An exemplar of Mid-Century modern design, Risom was one of the first designers to introduce Scandinavian design in the United States. Note: "Jens" is pronounced "Yenns", and almost rhymes with "fence".-Biography:Jens Risom was born in...
(b. Copenhagen, May 8, 1916) would later emigrate to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and become a renowned furniture designer.
Upon his return to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Risom assisted Thorvald Jørgensen
Thorvald Jørgensen
Thorvald Jørgensen was a Danish architect, most known for his design of Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament, after it had been destroyed in a fire. His other work mainly consists of churches. He was Royal Building Inspector from 1911 to 1938.-Biography:Thorval Jørgen was born...
in renovating the Royal Reception Rooms at the Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace, , on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, is the seat of the Folketing , the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court...
from 1915 to 1916.
In addition to his work as a practicing architect, Risom served as an external examiner of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1917; was a member of the board of the Architects' Association of Denmark
Architects' Association of Denmark
The Architects' Association of Denmark , or simply AA, is an independent professional body for Danish architects. It was founded in founded om 21 November 1879 with the prime duty to advance and promote architectural quality by influencing the planning and design of our physical environment in the...
1920-21; and from 1933, oversaw the inventories of items at the inhabited residences of the Danish monarch
Residences of the Danish monarch
The Danish Royal Family inhabit a range of residences around Denmark. Historically all the residences of the royal family were privately owned. With the introduction of the new Constitution in 1849, some of the residences were claimed as property of the "Kingdom of Denmark". Some of the palaces are...
, for which service, he was made a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
.
Risom died in Hillerød
Hillerød
Hillerød Kommune is a municipality in Region Hovedstaden . The municipality covers an area of 191 km² , and has a total population of 46,568...
on March 24, 1971. He is buried in Holmens Cemetery
Holmens Cemetery
Holmens Cemetery is the oldest cemetery still in use in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was first located next to the naval Church of Holmen in the city centre but relocated to its current site on Dag Hammarskjölds Allé in the Østerbro district in 1666...
.
Works
- Hunting Lodge, Salten Langsø (1908)
- Village Hall, BallumBallumBallum is a village on the western half of the island of Ameland and the smallest of the total of four villages on the island, one of the West Frisian Islands and part of the Netherlands. It has a population of about 370; this includes about 60 inhabitants of the countryside surrounding the village...
(1909–11) - Village Hall, Jejsing (1909–11)
- Knudsvej Villa, RungstedRungstedRungsted is a neighborhood in the city of Hørsholm in the Hørsholm Municipality of Øresund, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The center of Hørsholm is located two kilometers west of Rungsted...
, Hørsholm Municipality (1917) - Villa for lawyer Axel Simonsen, RungstedRungstedRungsted is a neighborhood in the city of Hørsholm in the Hørsholm Municipality of Øresund, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The center of Hørsholm is located two kilometers west of Rungsted...
, Hørsholm Municipality (1917) - Ankerhus, BlokhusBlokhusBlokhus is a small town with a population of 405 in the municipality of Jammerbugt in Denmark, on the north-west coast of the Jutland Peninsula. It is primarily a tourist resort...
(1917) - House at Svanemøllevej 16, Copenhagen (1917)
- Søbæk Overgaard, Mørdrupvej 69-75, EspergærdeEspergærdeEspergærde is situated in Northern Zealand near Øresund and is statically considered part of the larger urban area Espergærde-Snekkersten-Elsinore, some 5 to 8 km south of the centre of Elsinore and in reality separated from the urban area of Elsinore-Snekkersten by a 100 m wide unbuilt area,...
(1918) - Villa RosenlundVedbæk Strandvej 328, FC (later merged with TrørødTrørødTrørød is a small suburb located approximately 20 km north of central Copenhagen. Formerly Trørød was a separate town, but today it is a settlement located in the southern part of the Hørsholm urban area together with the neighbouring settlements of Vedbæk and Gammel Holte.-References:...
) (1919) - Villa Clovelly, Vallerød by RungstedRungstedRungsted is a neighborhood in the city of Hørsholm in the Hørsholm Municipality of Øresund, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The center of Hørsholm is located two kilometers west of Rungsted...
, Hørsholm Municipality (1920) - Extensions of brew houses on Tuborg and Kongens Bryghus (1920, demolished)
- Development plan for 2 sites in Hørsholm Municipality (1922, together with JP Andersen)
- Old Folks' Home, HørsholmHørsholmHørsholm Kommune is a municipality in the Copenhagen Capital Region in the northern part of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 31 km², and has a total population of 24,197...
(1922) - Mineral WaterMineral waterMineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
Bottling PlantBottling companyA bottling company is a commercial enterprise whose output is the bottling of beverages for distribution.Many bottling companies are franchisees of corporations such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo who distribute the beverage in a specific geographic region...
owned by Tuborg BreweryTuborg BreweryTuborg is a Danish brewing company founded in 1873 by Carl Frederik Tietgen. Since 1970 it has been part of Carlsberg. The brewery was founded in Hellerup, a northern suburb of Copenhagen.-History:...
, Strandvejen 54, HellerupHellerupHellerup is a Danish town of Region Hovedstaden, located in the Gentofte Municipality in Denmark. It is bordered to the east by the sound Øresund and to the South by Copenhagen and counted among the most affluent areas in Denmark....
(1923) - Grain Silo at Tuborg (1924, together with Carl Jensen, demolished)
- Tuborg's Headquarters, Svanemøllevej 57-61, Copenhagen (1925, rebuilt)
- Villa, Grut Allé 10, Hellerup (1927)
- Villa Christiansholmsvej 23, KlampenborgKlampenborgKlampenborg is a northern suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in Gentofte Municipality, directly on Øresund, between Taarbæk and Skovshoved. Like other neighbourhoods along the Øresund coast, Klampenborg is an affluent area with many large houses....
(1928) - Villa, Brodersens Allé 13, Hellerup (1928)
- Villa Ålholmvej 46, ValbyValby' is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, it is a heterogeneous mixture of different types of housing - including apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with single-family houses and allotments, as well as remains...
(1930) - Estates Clarasvej 5-13, CharlottenlundCharlottenlundCharlottenlund is a minor palace near Copenhagen in Denmark. In its original baroque form it was built between 1731 and 1733 on the foundations of a palace named Gyldenlund. The palace was named after Charlotte Amalie, the daughter of Frederick IV of Denmark and the sister of Christian VI of...
(1930–31), awarded by Gentofte Municipality - Villa Maglemosevej 51, Hellerup (1934, together with Christian Tyge Tillisch)
- Villa Parkovsvej 5, GentofteGentofteGentofte Kommune is a municipality in the Capital Region of Denmark on the east coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 68,913...
(1934, with the same award from Gentofte Municipality) - Villa, Swan Vænget 21, Copenhagen (1935)
- Estates Nordhavn Yard, Østbanegade 145-61, Copenhagen (1934, together with Christian Tyge Tillisch)
- Business Offices, Nørregade 15, Copenhagen (1934–35)
- Hotel Frederik IV and Store Kro in FredensborgFredensborgFredensborg is a railway town with a population of 8,377 located in Fredensborg Municipality, Denmark at the railroad between Hillerød and Helsingør....
(1936) - Housing, Plantevej / Vangedevej (1948–49, together with Svend Albinus)
Restorations and renovations
- United Breweries Headquarters, now known as Hans Christian Andersen Castle, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen (1923)
- Langeliniepavillonen restaurant , Copenhagen (1933)
- Main Building, Øbjerggård (1938)
- Store Kro, Fredensborg (1936, together with CT Tillisch)