JeffReuben
Skånebanken Stockholm (2018)
Skånebanken (completed 1900) by architect Gustaf Wickman in Stockholm, is an exuberant baroque showcase of the Malmö-based bank’s home region.
Its red sandstone facade is from Övedskloster quarry in Skåne and is full of sculptures and other decorations by sculptors G. F. Nordling and Christian Eriksson. As shown in the photo here, ornamental details above the entry portal include fruit and vegetables, griffins, and allegorical figures representative of Malmo and Skåne.
The 1904 book Sveriges Konst; från 1700 talets slut till 1900-talets Början i dess hufvuddrag by Georg Nordensvan describes the buiilding (translated via Google):
“Of the many new bank buildings, Skånebanken by Gustaf Wickman (b. 1858) is the most original. Composed for a place where two rather narrow streets intersect, it is made to be seen only up close. The shapes, which show new and surprising motifs, are solid and massive, as befits a building, representing the material possibilities of solid Skåne. The magnificent reddish Scanian sandstone has willingly adhered to the will of the architect. In few of our architects' works is it such a personal and lively mood as in this improvisation, which stands rather alone even in the creation of its originator.”
The building now houses government offices. This photo was taken in summer 2018; in autumn 2018 the Swedish Property Agency (Statens fastighetsverk) and consultant Mikael Traung initiated extensive facade restorations.
For more on this and other unsung architectural gems of Stockholm, please see my article on Scandinavia Standard:
www.scandinaviastandard.com/find-these-hidden-architectur...
Skånebanken Stockholm (2018)
Skånebanken (completed 1900) by architect Gustaf Wickman in Stockholm, is an exuberant baroque showcase of the Malmö-based bank’s home region.
Its red sandstone facade is from Övedskloster quarry in Skåne and is full of sculptures and other decorations by sculptors G. F. Nordling and Christian Eriksson. As shown in the photo here, ornamental details above the entry portal include fruit and vegetables, griffins, and allegorical figures representative of Malmo and Skåne.
The 1904 book Sveriges Konst; från 1700 talets slut till 1900-talets Början i dess hufvuddrag by Georg Nordensvan describes the buiilding (translated via Google):
“Of the many new bank buildings, Skånebanken by Gustaf Wickman (b. 1858) is the most original. Composed for a place where two rather narrow streets intersect, it is made to be seen only up close. The shapes, which show new and surprising motifs, are solid and massive, as befits a building, representing the material possibilities of solid Skåne. The magnificent reddish Scanian sandstone has willingly adhered to the will of the architect. In few of our architects' works is it such a personal and lively mood as in this improvisation, which stands rather alone even in the creation of its originator.”
The building now houses government offices. This photo was taken in summer 2018; in autumn 2018 the Swedish Property Agency (Statens fastighetsverk) and consultant Mikael Traung initiated extensive facade restorations.
For more on this and other unsung architectural gems of Stockholm, please see my article on Scandinavia Standard:
www.scandinaviastandard.com/find-these-hidden-architectur...