Dania Hall
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Starting in 1885, Dania Hall became a gathering place for Scandinavians in Minneapolis. Located in the Scandia Bank block of Cedar Avenue, the hall was home to many Norwegian-American organizations. Events, concerts, and celebrations also took place in the building's auditoriums on the second and third floors.[1]
"Cedar Avenue became the main thoroughfare for Norwegians and other Scandinavians in the city. One business after another was opened. Norwegians was the language of both store clerks and cusotmers," according to historian Odd S. Lovoll. Within a few blocks, "there were at least six Norwegian churches that completed with the saloons and other amusements in the Cedar-Riverside district."[2] Augsburg Seminary, now Augsburg University, was just down the street.
Images
Dania Hall formerly stood in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood and was a center for Nordic American activity.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
To come
Sources
[1] Mauk, David C. The Heart of the Heartland: Norwegian-American Community in the Twin Cities. St. Paul, Minn. Minnesota Historical Society Press, Norwegian-American Historical Association, 2022.
[2] Lovoll, Odd S. The Promise of America: A History of the Norwegian-American People. Minneapolis, Minn. University of Minnesota Press, in cooperation with the Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1984.
By Unknown author - MNHS, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18175895