Consulate General of Norway, Houston
The Consulate-General of Norway in Houston was Norway's diplomatic mission in Houston, Texas, United States. It was located in the Neartown area.[1][2]
| Consulate-General of Norway in Houston | |
|---|---|
 Norway House, which housed the Consulate-General of Norway in Houston | |
 | |
| Location | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Address | 3410 West Dallas street, Suite 100 |
Petroleum-related business ties formed major connections between Norway and Houston.[3] Lasse Sigurd Seim, former consul general of Norway to Houston, described the estimated 5,000–6,000 Norwegians in the Houston area around 2008 as the largest concentration of Norwegians outside of Scandinavia. About 100 Norwegian companies had business operations in Houston during that year. In 2007 Houston had $1.5 billion United States dollars in trade with Norway.[4]
The Norwegian Consulate General in Houston was permanently closed in July 2023.[5]
History
edit
The consulate first opened in 1977.[6] For a 27-year period, the consulate leased space in the Riviana Building in the American General Center, at 2777 Allen Parkway, in Neartown Houston.[7][8] Before it moved to its current location, the consulate was located in Suite 1185 in the Riviana Building.[6] Around 2008 the Norwegian consulate announced that it was expanding consular services to a new building.[4]
By 2008 the Norwegian government introduced plans to establish an "incubator" for Norwegian businesses in the Houston area, with the consulate and the Innovation Norway group organizing the incubator facility. The government planned to move the consulate offices into the facility along with small and medium-sized businesses.[4] In 2010, the consulate relocated to the "Norway House," a building in Neartown that also houses Innovation Norway, INTSOK, the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), and several small offices reserved for small and medium-sized Norwegian companies that hope to establish business in Greater Houston. On November 16, 2010 the official opening was held. Trond Giske, the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, attended the opening. The U.S. Green Building Council gave Norway House Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification. Within the United States, Norway House is the first consulate facility and the second diplomatic facility to receive that certification.[7]
Service area
editU.S. states within its jurisdiction included Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The consulate also covered the U.S. insular areas of Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.[9]
It previously served Haiti and Jamaica;[10] consular services for Jamaica and Haiti are now provided by the Norwegian embassy in Havana, Cuba.[11][12]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "About the Consulate General in Houston." Norway in the United States. Retrieved on February 20, 2010.
- ^ Map of Neartown Archived 2018-10-05 at the Wayback Machine. Neartown Association. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
- ^ Louwagie, Pam. "Norway threatens to close consulate in Minnesota." Minneapolis Star-Tribune. October 10, 2007. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.
- ^ a b c Moreno, Jenalia. "For Norway, Houston is Oslo on the bayou / Many from Scandinavian nation, which has a major oil industry, are finding opportunities in Texas." Houston Chronicle. Sunday August 17, 2008. Business 1. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.
- ^ "Norway to close consulate general in Houston, other foreign missions". The Norwegian American. 2022-09-14.
- ^ a b "Welcome to the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Houston." Consulate-General of Norway in Houston. April 25, 2008. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
- ^ a b "Our New Location: "Norway House"." Norwegian Consulate General, Houston. November 19, 2010. Retrieved on December 16, 2010.
- ^ "American General Center." Drillinginfo. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.
- ^ "Jurisdiction Archived 2017-04-17 at the Wayback Machine." Norwegian Consulate General, Houston. Retrieved on April 17, 2017.
- ^ "Consulates." Norway in the USA (Norwegian Government). September 28, 2006. Retrieved on April 17, 2017.
- ^ Home. Norway in Jamaica (Norwegian government). Retrieved on April 17, 2017.
- ^ "Om ambassaden." Norway in Cuba (Norwegian government). Retrieved on April 17, 2017. "12 karibiske øystater representert gjennom den norske ambassaden i Havanna. [...]"
External links
edit- Consulate-General of Norway in Houston Archived 2017-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
- Consulate-General of Norway in Houston at archive.today (archived 2013-01-13)
- Consulate-General of Norway in Houston at the Wayback Machine (archived 2013-10-22)