The Honve House, also known as the Scandinavian Cultural Center, opened its doors at 2629 6th Avenue North, Grand Forks, North Dakota, on May 17, 1971 . Made possible by a donation to the University of North Dakota by the Norwegian-born Mr. Andrew Honve (1898-1973), the center served as a focal point for cultural interest in the Nordic countries ( Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland) at UND for three and a half decades. From the time of its founding, the history of the Scandinavian Cultural Center is closely intertwined with that of the UND Scandinavian Club (now the Nordic Club), as well as the career of Dr. Arne Brekke, long-time professor of Norwegian Language and Literature who served as the director of the House for almost its whole 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 university's Chester Fritz Auditorium during the mid-1970s) and showings of Scandinavian films that were open to the community. The center also maintained an extensive collection of Scandinavian books, periodicals, audio and visual recordings, and various forms of art. Overseen by Scandinavian students acting as live-in caretakers, the Honve House was open to UND students and members of the general public desiring to utilize its many resources. In short, the Honve House was part library, part museum, and part meeting place. Benefiting from the widespread interest in genealogy and ethnic identity that prevailed during the seventies, the Scandinavian Cultural Center appears to have been most successful during the decade immediately after its founding, but to have entered upon a slow decline thereafter. In 2005, the university administration closed the center and sold the property, having concluded that the program did not merit continued funding.

Ethnicity - Scandinavian
University of North Dakota - Student Organizations