Haldor Børve

Børve started an architectural practice in Porsgrunn in 1889 and designed numerous buildings in Telemark and Vestfold counties, many of them influenced by Dragestil and the Nordic National Romantic style.

He attended Trondheim Technical Vocational School (Norwegian: Trondhjems Tekniske Læreanstalt) from 1877 to 1880, after which he worked for a few years as a junior architect.

He finished his studies in 1889, and with the help of a government grant for engineers, he moved to Porsgrunn in Telemark, Norway and started his own architectural firm that same year.

[4] While Børve had learned a great deal about contemporary German architecture during his studies in Hannover, as shown in his use of Neo-Gothic and Swiss chalet styles.

The newly named firm designed several buildings in the Porsgrunn area using functionalist principles, including the Folkets hus just across from Børve's Vår Frue Church.

Frederic Croft had trained in England as an engineer, but in 1870 he took one of his father's boats and sailed away to Norway, reportedly to forget a painful love story from back home.

It exhibits many features of the style, including eaves adorned with dragon heads and a roof with several decorative spires.

When Croft lived there the home was lavishly furnished, and some of the pieces of furniture can now be found on display at the Porsgrunn City Museum.

Haldor Børve designed the building, and planning and joinery work was completed by workers from Skotfoss Bruk.