Harald Simonsen (2 August 1873 – 3 February 1949) was a Danish timber merchant, brickyard owner and developer.

Early life and education

Simonsen was born on 2 August 1873 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, the son of merchant Georg Harald Simonsen (1841–1890) and Caroline Jensen (1845–1913). He graduated from Nørrebros Latin- og realskole in 1889 and was then an apprentice for three years at B. Kromann jr. in

Marstal Marstal () is a town in southern Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. Marstal has a population of 2,077 (1 January 2024)Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

and then for six years for Holger Petersen on

Købmagergade Købmagergade is a pedestrian shopping street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects Amagertorv on Strøget to Nørreport station, although the last section, north of Kultorvet, is part of Frederiksborggade, which continues on the ot ...

in Copenhagen.

Career

In 1899, Simonsen started his own company which traded in building materials. The company grew rapidly. It purchased

Niverød Brickworks Niverød Brickworks (Danish language, Danish: ), also known as P. Koefod's Brickworks (Danish: ) and Simondsen's Brickworks (Danish: ), was one of four brickworks located at Nivå on the Øresund coast north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Nivå Marina is ...

in 1911, Snesere Brickworks in 1916 and later also Kollerup Brickworks. He was also a major importer of timber from Sweden and Finland. In 1918, when

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

had resulted in a shortage of cargo ships, he attracted media attention for converting a delivery of timber from Finland into a gigantic raft, naming it Refanut and towing it to Denmark. Simonsen's business gave him a thorough knowledge of the construction industry. During the economic crisis of the 1920s, Simonsen was stuck with great quantities of timber and bricks that no one wanted to buy. He responded by starting a new career as a developer. In 1926, he acquired a large piece of land at Svanemøllen in Copenhagen from the estate of S. N. Meyer. He constructed Svanemøllegården and Ulfsgård and sold off the rest of the land in lots. He was later also involved in a number of other development projects, both alone and in collaboration with others. These included Lindevangsgården,

Hostrups Have Hostrups Have ( lit. "Hostrup's Garden") is a famous functionalist housing estate and associated green space located at the corner of Falkoner Allé and Rolighedsvej in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed by Danish a ...

, Ringkøbinggården, Hollændervænget and Thorsgård. In 1936, Simonsen converted his company to a limited company under the name Harald Simonsen A/S with an initial capital of DKK 1 million. The property management division was placed in a separate company.

Personal life

Simonsen married Betty Nathalia Thorup (1877–1949) on 10 January 1899. The couple had two children, Ib Simonsen and (''née'' Simonsen). Simonsen constructed a house on

Østerbrogade Østerbrogade is the principal shopping street and thoroughfare in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It extends from Lille Triangel at the north-eastern tip of The Lakes, passes Trianglen, and continues to Svanemøllen station fro ...

(now Dag Hammerskjolds Allé 28) for his own use in 1917. The building was designed by

Carl Brummer Carl Harald Brummer (12 July 1864 – 14 February 1953) was a Danish architect who was influential in the design of homes at the beginning of the 20th century. Early life and education Brummer was born in Bogense as the son of Hans Frederik Brum ...

and is known as "Little

Amalienborg Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family and is located in Copenhagen. Frederick VIII's palace complex has four identical Classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagona ...

". He was a skilled cricket player and an honorary member of Danske Studenters Roklub. He became

Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

in 1927 and was awarded the ' Cross of Honour (Dannebrogsmand'') in 1939. He died on 3 February 1949 and is buried in Frederiksberg Old Cemetery.

References

External links

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Harald Simonsen
at geni.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Simonsen, Harald 1873 births 1949 deaths 20th-century Danish businesspeople Businesspeople from Copenhagen Danish businesspeople in timber Danish real estate and property developers Danish company founders Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog