A Brief History

Prior to 1897, Norwegians immigrating to San Francisco gathered in different societies. Many of them were not able to speak the language and had little money to sustain their living expenses. Most were laborers or came from farms in rural Norway and learned of America by word of mouth.

In 1897, when the Explorer Fridjof Nansen (pictured left) was rumored to be coming to San Francisco, a gathering of men, 13 in all, formulated plans for a reception in his honor. They adopted a name for their group, Den Norsk Klub Fram. 'Fram' was the name of the ship (pictured right) that carried Nansen on his attempt to reach the North Pole by drifting with the currents and ice packs across the North Polar Basin. Even though his lecture trip to San Francisco was cancelled, the meetings of the group were held twice a month and the membership grew to be about 100.

Over the years, many dignitaries lived at, visited, or were members of the Club. For example, a reception was held for Roald Amundsen (pictured left) and his crew when they arrived in San Francisco after having navigated through the Northwest Passage on the sloop "Gjoa." Andrew Furuseth, the "Great Emancipator," lived at the Club when he was not in Washington D.C. fighting for seamen's rights (they were little more than slaves at sea before the 1915 Seaman's Act was passed by Congress). And Thor Heyerdahl and his crew were dinner guests after his "Kon Tiki" expedition.

The Norwegian Club was organized for the predominate purpose of providing for the furtherance and advancement of Norwegian culture and interests, to foster incidental social functions, and to carry on the high traditions and principles of Den Norske Klub Fram. The Club is non-sectarian and non-political. Dinners are held every Thursday evening, every week except in the month of July and on special holidays.

Membership

Membership may be issued to men of Norwegian birth or heritage, or as an associate membership, with the authorization of the Board of Directors. There is a Ladies Auxiliary for women of Norwegian birth or heritage, and the wives and daughters of members. The Ladies Auxiliary meets once a month.

Where We Are Located

The Norwegian Club is located at:

1900 Fell Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1917
Phone: 415-668-8608 or 415-668-1558

Click here to view an interactive map and obtain driving directions...

2008 Club Officers

  • Dennis Severson, President
  • Nikolas Sten, 1st Vice President
  • Stein Ove Sandvik, 2nd Vice President
  • Børre Ulrichsen, Secretary
  • Mark Matthiesen, Treasurer
  • Board of Directors
    • John Rønneberg
    • Vincent San Nicolas
    • Ty Swanson
    • Richard Tunheim

Ladies Auxiliary

  • Bonnie Anderson, President
  • Aud Tunheim, Vice President
  • Ulla Da Silva, Treasurer
  • Audrey Ellingsen, Secretary
  • Berit Tisell, Assistant Secretary

Taake Luren, The Club Newsletter

The Taake Luren is published monthly and distributed to all active club members. If you like to contribute content to the Taake Luren, please send an email to taakeluren@norwegianclub.org.

Contributions must be made by the 20th of the month to get into the next issue.