Background
Edward Sövik was born on June 9, 1918, to American missionaries in Henan, China. He is a son of Edward Anderson and Anna Sövik. Edward Sövik spent most of his youth in that country before his family moved to Minnesota when he was 17.
1520 St Olaf Ave, Northfield, MN 55057, United States
St. Olaf College where Edward Sövik received a Bachelor of Arts degree.
New Haven, CT 06520, United States
Yale University where Edward Sövik received a Bachelor of Architecture degree.
215 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019, United States
The Art Students League of New York where Edward Sövik studied.
2481 Como Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, United States
Luther Seminary where Edward Sövik studied.
Purple Heart that Edward Sövik received for his service in the United States Army.
Distinguished Flying Cross that Edward Sövik received for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight, in actions against enemy Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II.
(To help improve the sound of liturgy, six professionals –...)
To help improve the sound of liturgy, six professionals – an architect, an acoustician, a musician, an organ builder, a theologian, and a pastor – offer good reasons and helpful advice for improving the acoustics for the assembly's singing. These articles were originally collected by The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Published by Liturgy Training Publications.
https://www.amazon.com/Acoustics-Liturgy-Collection-Articles-Society/dp/0929650530/?tag=2022091-20
1992
Edward Sövik was born on June 9, 1918, to American missionaries in Henan, China. He is a son of Edward Anderson and Anna Sövik. Edward Sövik spent most of his youth in that country before his family moved to Minnesota when he was 17.
Edward Sövik studied at St. Olaf College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1939. He also attended the Art Students League of New York and Luther Seminary. Edward Sövik earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Yale University in 1949.
Edward Sövik enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 and served during the Second World War as a night fighter pilot in the Pacific theater. After the end of the war, he studied at Yale University and then returned to Northfield, Minnesota, to start an architecture firm. In 1953 Sövik developed a partnership with architects Sewell J. Mathre and Norman E. Madson to establish a new architectural firm, E. A. Sövik, and Associates. Sövik and Mathre focused on the development of church projects primarily in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota.
In 1954, Sövik became a part of the first Commission on Architecture of the National Council of Churches Department of Worship and the Arts. In 1959 he was chosen to be a delegate from the US for the International Conference on Church Building, Bossey, Switzerland. In 1965, Edward Sövik became the first president of the Guild of Religious Architecture and held this post until 1968. He served as chair of the editorial board of the Guild’s journal Faith & Form from 1967-1970. He also worked as a professor of art at St. Olaf College.
From 1959-1973 Edward Sövik published at least 35 articles concerning theology, worship, and church design in periodicals and books. His first book Architecture for Worship was published in 1973. Later he published such books as Acoustics for Liturgy: A Collection of Articles of the Hymn Society in the U. S. and Canada and Accessible buildings for people with walking and reaching limitations.
Interior view of First Lutheran Church, Onalaska, Wisconsin, completed in 1954.
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Dysart, Iowa, completed in 1961.
Northfield Methodist Church (now United Methodist Church), Northfield, Minnesota, competed in 1966.
Central United Methodist Church (now Trinity United Methodist), Charles City, Iowa, completed in 1972
(To help improve the sound of liturgy, six professionals –...)
1992Edward Sövik believed strongly in his theological and architectural ideals, but he also sought to honor the priorities and limits of each congregational client. The ultimate design for every church was the product of a dynamic exchange between the congregation and Sövik.
Edward Sövik was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a member of the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture. He also was a member of the Church Architectural Guild of America.
Edward Sövik married Genevieve Elaine Hendrickson on June 29, 1946. The marriage produced three children. Genevieve died and on March 25, 2001, Edward Sövik married Anne Running.