Honve House Records

The Honve House, also known as the Scandinavian Cultural Center, opened at 2629 6th Avenue North, Grand Forks, on May 17, 1971. Made possible by a donation to UND by Norwegian-born Andrew Honve (1898-1973), the center served as a focal point for cultural interest in the Nordic countries for three and a half decades. From the time of its founding, the history of the Honve House was closely intertwined with that of the UND Scandinavian Club (now the Nordic Club) and Dr. Arne Brekke, long-time professor of Norwegian language and literature who served as Honve House director for almost its entire existence. The Honve House sought to promote understanding of and interest in Scandinavian culture through events such as the Norwegian Folk Festivals (held in the Chester Fritz Auditorium during the mid-1970s) and showings of Scandinavian films. It also maintained an extensive collection of Scandinavian books, periodicals, audio-visual recordings, and art. Overseen by Scandinavian students serving as live-in caretakers, the Honve House was open to UND students and members of the general public. In short, the Honve House was part library, part museum, and part meeting place. Benefiting from the widespread interest in genealogy and ethnic identity in the 1970s, it was most popular during the years immediately after its opening, but interest slowly declined thereafter. In 2005, UND administration closed the center and sold the property, having concluded that the program did not merit continued funding.

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