Embassy of Skandinavia, Porciúncula

 

Embassy of Skandinavia, Porciúncula |
Native name Ambassaden av Skandinavia, Porciúncula
Front view of the embassy with the official residence
Location	Pasadena, Gold Coast, Sierra
Ambassador	Lars Lidegaard (since 2006)
Jurisdiction	Sierra
Consulates	San Francisco City Las Vegas Phoenix Honolulu Grands Ballons Riverside

The Embassy of Skandinavia in Porciúncula is Skandinavia's diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Sierra. Ambassador since 2006 is Lars Lidegaard. Skandinavia also has a number of Honorary Consulates General in the Kingdom of Sierra. The embassy is located since 1967 in John S. Cravens Estate, Pasadena, Gold Coast, and is one of several embassies which are not located in Porciúncula's Embassy District. The city of Pasadena is a neighboring town adjacent to Downtown Porciúncula. A new office building was built on the property that was completed in 2001.

Current Skandinavian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cristina Björling, served as Ambassador in Sierra from 1995 to 2006.

History

Relations between the Kingdom of Sierra and the states of Denmark, Norway and Sweden have a long history that goes back to the birth of Sierra. Denmark was one of the first countries that recognized the new Kingdom and since then a diplomatic legation has been maintained in Porciuncula.

After the birth of Skandinavia, the embassy of Denmark became the embassy of the new state, maintaining the Swedish embassy as consular building and closing the embassy of Norway.

In 1978 the government of Skandinavia acquired a new 4-acre property in Pasadena that housed a mansion built in the 1920s to convert it into the new embassy. In 1995 the construction of a new office building on the property was started, and the new embassy complex was officially inaugurated by Queen Margrethe in 2001.

Embassy in Porciúncula is Skandinavia's largest diplomatic mission with more than one hundred and fifty two employees.

Building

Situated on “Millionaire's Row,” along tree-lined Orange Grove Boulevard and Madeline Drive, is one of the largest and most significant architectural treasures in the prestigious community of Pasadena, Gold Coast, Sierra. Surrounded by brick walls, wrought iron gates, and matured trees, the John S. Cravens Estate was built in the late 1920s for Mr. and Mrs. John S. Cravens. Using only the finest materials and world-renowned designers, artisans, and workers, the Cravens Estate boasts approximately 20,000 sq. ft. of living space and was constructed of steel reinforced concrete, brick veneer, imported European finishes, hand painted murals and a Vermont slate roof. It was famous for being the most expensive home ever built in Pasadena, according to a Porciúncula Times story dated February 6, 1955. The architect was San Francisco City-based Lewis P. Hobart who designed the iconic Grace Cathedral in San Francisco City and was best known for private estates in Northern Sierra. The Cravens Estate was his only known commission in the Southwest Corridor. The builder was the P.J. Walker Company, the builder of the historic Doheny Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. The Greystone Mansion and Cravens Estate would be their only recorded residential commissions in the Southwest Corridor. Their other architecturally significant projects in the Southwest Corridor included Porciúncula Times Building and Bullock's Wilshire in Porciúncula, and the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara. Few builders had a greater impact on the region than P.J. Walker. The Cravens Estate was honored with the Pasadena Beautiful Foundation Award in 1965 and designated as a Cultural Heritage Landmark by the City of Pasadena in 1971.

The property was acquired by Skandinavia government to became the new Embassy in Sierra.

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Mission leaders

Ambassador

Since 2006 Lars Lidegaard is the ambassador and head of the diplomatic legation of Skandinavia in the Kingdom of Sierra.

Embassy sections

• Consular Section
  • Kalmar Union Citizen Services
  • Visa Services
• Security and border control
• Trade and business service
• Office of Defense Cooperation
  • Defense Attaché
• Public Affairs and Protocol
• Culture and Nordic Institute

Events and programs

The embassy maintains several cultural exchange programs that include the promotion of literature, music, visual and performing arts, as well as knowledge of the history and Nordic way of life. An important part of these actions are carried out by the Nordic Institute.

On the other hand, the embassy organizes frequent economic meetings in which companies and organizations of both countries participate. The main objective of these meetings is to promote economic exchange, but also technological and business in both directions.