Einar Oscar Schou ( 4 June 1877 - 28 December 1966) was a Norwegian architect. He is most noted for his design of

Den Nationale Scene Den Nationale Scene ( en, National Theater) is the largest theatre in Bergen, Norway. Den Nationale Scene is also one of the oldest permanent theatres in Norway. History Opened under the name '' Det Norske Theater'' in 1850, the theatre has root ...

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

Background

Einar Oscar Schou was born in

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. He studied at the

Royal Drawing School The Royal Drawing School is a not-for-profit educational organisation and registered charity in the London Borough of Hackney in England. It was founded in 2000 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and artist Catherine Goodman as The Prince ...

from 1898 to 1901. He was assistant to the architect Halfdan Berle in Oslo from 1899-1901. He studied at the Art Academy in Stockholm between 1901-1903. After graduation, he became head of the Agi Lindgren architectural firm in Stockholm and was there for three years. In 1907, he founded his own architectural practice and ran this until after World War II. From 1935-51, he was director of the Bergen Arts School (''Bergens kunsthåndverksskole''), now part of the

Bergen National Academy of the Arts Bergen Academy of Art and Design ( no, Kunst- og designhøgskolen i Bergen) or KHiB was one of two independent and accredited scientific institutions of higher learning in the visual arts and design in Norway (The other is Oslo National Academy o ...

Career

His best known work is the design of the theatre

at Engen in

. In 1904, he won the competition for the theater building, where his proposal was preferred over veteran Bergen-based architect,

Henrik Bull Henrik Bull (28 March 1864 – 2 June 1953) was a Norwegian architect and designer. Among his works are the Paulus Church at Grünerløkka in Oslo, the National Theater, the Historical Museum in Oslo, and the Government Building. He also d ...

. The theater building designed by Schou opened on 19 February 1909, with King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud in attendance. The hall, foyer and lobby were largely destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In 2001 the building was brought back almost to its original shape. Schou was Chairman of the Bergen Art Society 1914-15. He served on the Bergen city council for the

Norwegian Conservative Party The Conservative Party or The Right ( nb, Høyre, nn, Høgre, , H; se, Olgešbellodat) is a liberal-conservative political party in Norway. It is the major party of the Norwegian centre-right, and was the leading party in government as part of ...

from 1929 to 1937 and was a member of a number of Bergen municipal councils and committees. Schou was decorated Knight, First Class of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

in 1909. Schou earned the

Houen Foundation Award The Houen Foundation Award ( no, Houens fonds diplom) is Norway's most important award for architecture. It was established in 1893 by Anton Christian Houen (1823–1894). A successful merchant and businessman, Houen established several phila ...

in 1912. ''1912. Einar Oscar Schou. Den Nationale Scene'' (Houens Fonds Diplom)
File:Bergens telefonkompagni.jpg, Bergens Telefonkompagni (1912) File:Fløibanestasjonen.JPG, Nedre Fløibanestasjon (1918) File:Bergen Arbeiderblad Building.jpg, Bergen Arbeiderblads (1927)

References

Other sources

*Aarseth, Asbjørn ''Den Nationale Scene : 1901-31'' (Oslo: Gyldendal. 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Schou, Einar Oscar 1877 births 1966 deaths Architects from Bergen Norwegian expatriates in Sweden Artists from Oslo Politicians from Bergen Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Academic staff of the Bergen Academy of Art and Design