MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 13 – Norway House today announced that Concordia Language Villages, the premier language and cultural immersion program in the United States, is the first tenant of the organization’s recently acquired facility in south Minneapolis. Concordia Language Villages moved in Aug. 28.
Norway House serves as the cultural home for Norwegian-American business, educational, social and cultural organizations. In May the organization established its home by purchasing the Wings Financial Building at 913 E. Franklin Ave. in Minneapolis. The purchase of the building adjacent to Mindekirken – The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, marked the first step in a multi-phase program to establish Norway House as the premier convener of Midwest Norwegian-American organizations.
“We are delighted that Concordia Language Villages is our first tenant of Norway House,” said Karen Tuzcu, Norway House President and CEO. “They are the first of many of our not-for-profit and Nordic partners that will call Norway House ‘home.’ We anticipate a new level of synergy and collaboration now that we have one place where these organizations can share space and host events and meetings that further the mission of connecting Minnesota with contemporary Norway.”
Founded in 1960 at the suggestion of Concordia College faculty member Gerhard Haukebo, Concordia Language Villages was envisioned as a way to teach language and culture to young people. Today the organization provides cultural immersion programming in 15 languages for more than 10,000 language learners of all ages each year.
“We are excited to be a part of the growing Norway House community and the first tenant of the Norway House Education Center,” said Martin Graefe, Senior Director of Concordia Language Villages. “We are looking forwarding to collaborating with Norway House and the other cultural organizations that will soon share our home on this cultural campus.”