Swedish Cabins: The Legacy of Henry Steiner

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Category
Exhibit
Start date
2022-01-17 09:00:00
End date
2022-06-05 17:00:00
Address / City
8800 SW Oleson Road Portland
Location
OR, US
Nordic Northwest is excited to present Swedish Cabins: The Legacy of Henry Steiner and Fogelbo exhibit. The exhibit will be on display at Nordia House from January 17 through June 5. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Alongside the exhibit, there will be a ticketed lecture on February 4 at 7:30 pm with historian and curator of the Mount Hood Cultural Center and Museum, Lloyd Musser. Throughout this lecture Lloyd will explore the history of Steiner cabins in the Northwest, including features of Fogelbo that make these cabins distinctive.

About the Exhibit:
For most Americans, the log cabin represents the American frontier. The log cabin also tells the story of Swedish immigration and innovation in the United States. In the Pacific Northwest, the story of the Swedish log cabin lives on through the legacy of craftsman, Henry Steiner. In the 1920’s through the 1950’s Steiner and his family built around a hundred cabins and other structures. Nordic Northwest has one of these very cabins on its campus: Fogelbo. A National Historic Site, Fogelbo is a perfect example of the craftsmanship and style of Henry Steiner.

About Fogelbo:
Located on the Nordic Northwest’s campus, Fogelbo is a private residence built by Henry and John Steiner. In Swedish, fogelbo means “bird nest” and is derived from the Fogelquist family name, which means “bird on a branch.” Fogelbo has been in the Fogelquist family since the 1950’s.

The 2,000 square foot log cabin sits on an uncoursed stone foundation. The cabin has a peeled log exterior and a stone chimney that rises from the gable roof that is covered with shakes and topped with a cupola. It is easy to see the classical Henry and John Steiner features. These architectural features are a mortared stone chimney, a horizontal log exterior, thick-cut cedar shingle roof, long rafters and log ceiling posts, a bentwood latch, casement windows with pegged latches, door and window frames with round edges on the inside and outside, corners that are round notched with an ax, one-inch thick pegged oak floor, built-in corner cupboard, bookcases and lamp shelves, curving pole handrails, and a fireplace made of basalt rock.
The log structure was built between 1938 and 1940 by Henry and John Steiner. Charles Fogelquist purchased the house and the two acres it sits on in 1952.
Organizer
Nordic Northwest
Phone
503.977.0275
Email
media@nordicnorthwest.org