Hilda Hongell
Illustration — Hilda Hongell Hilda Hongell (born Hilda Sjöblom; 16 January 1867 in Mariehamn – 10 June 1952) was the first female "master builder" in Finland, and is sometimes described as the first female architect in Finland although Signe Hornborg appears to deserve this title.
Hilda Hongell

C. P. Dyrendahl · https: type=preview source=6dece335-b7c4-4550-88ea-09185c4b11b3 function=hardcrop width=1200 height=1983 q=80 · Public domain
- Full name
- Hilda Elisabeth Sjöblom.
- Born
- 1867. · Mariehamn.
- Died
- 1952. · Kaarlela.
- Nationality
- Finland.
- Occupation
- master builder and architect.
- Languages
- Swedish.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Hilda Hongell Hilda Hongell (born Hilda Sjöblom; 16 January 1867 in Mariehamn – 10 June 1952) was the first female "master builder" in Finland, and is sometimes described as the first female architect in Finland although Signe Hornborg appears to deserve this title.
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wikidata · Q4954717 · wikipedia · Hilda Hongell
In this article
Early years
Early years
She grew up in the Åland Islands, and began her career as a special student at Helsinki Industrial School in 1891. In those days only men could attend the industrial schools in the country, but because of her excellent results she was accepted as a regular student the following year, and began her career in architecture in 1894.
Style
Style
At the turn of the 20th century, the ornamented Swiss style was favoured in Finland; Hongell used this style most effectively.
Designs
Designs
Hilda Hongell designed 98 buildings in the Mariehamn district, mostly town houses and farm houses. Around 44 of them are still standing today.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
An exhibition of the architecture of Hongell, together with her contemporary Lars Sonck, titled "The old architecture of Mariehamn", took place in Helsinki in the summer of 2007.
Sons
Sons
Hilda Hongell's son Göran Hongell (1902-1973) was a distinguished glassware designer.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1867–1952
The full dated record · 23 entries
1867
Hilda Hongell born at Mariehamn.
1875
Neptunigatan 43 is dated 1875.
1876
Eriksson House is dated 1876.
1881
Norragatan 15 is dated 1881.
1891
Västra Esplanadgatan 11 is dated 1891.
1891
Norragatan 13 B is dated 1891.
1892
Västra Esplanadgatan 15 is dated 1892.
1892
Neptunigatan 57 is dated 1892.
1896
Mariegatan 36 is dated 1896.
1897
Mariegatan 30 is dated 1897.
1897
Södragatan 15 is dated 1897.
1898
Östra Esplanadgatan 14 is dated 1898.
1898
Villa du Nord is dated 1898.
1898
Mariegatan 24 is dated 1898.
1899
Skillnadsgatan 18 A is dated 1899.
1899
Ålandsvägen 65 A is dated 1899.
1899
Södragatan 17 is dated 1899.
1899
Mariegatan 15 is dated 1899.
1900
Mariegatan 13 A is dated 1900.
1903
Mariegatan 25 A is dated 1903.
1906
Södragatan 16 A is dated 1906.
1907
Norragatan 34 is dated 1907.
1952
Hilda Hongell died at Kaarlela.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Mariehamn.
Birth place
Kaarlela.
Death place
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Hilda Hongell stands.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Mia Åkerfelt. För fremlingarnes trefnad – byggmästaren Hilda Hongell och iscensättningen av badorten Mariehamn på 1890-talet. TAHITI. 30 septembre 2012.
- 2.Sofia Holmlund. “Hilda Hongell har haft ett enormt inflytande”. Hufvustadsbladet. 20 novembre 2017.
- 3.Nordic Classicism: Scandinavian Architecture 1910-1930. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2018.
- 4.Hongell, Hilda. uppslagsverket.fr. 4 mai 2009.
- 5.Arkitektur. mariehamn.ax. 15 février 2021.
- 6.Architecture in Mariehamn. visitaland.com.
- 7.Helena Forsgård. Mariehamn högaktar Hilda Hongell. Hufvudstadsbladet. 12 novembre 2016.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 3
- Renja Suominen-Kokkonen. Hongell, Hilda (1867-1952). Kansallisbiografia. 6 septembre 2001. payant.
- The Fringe of a Profession. Women as Architects in Finland from the 1890's to the 1950's. Kirjapaino Oy. 1992.
- För fremlingarnes trefnad: Byggmästaren Hilda Hongell och iscensättningen av badorten Mariehamn på 1890-talet. Åbo Akademis förlag. 2011. 9789521226496.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q4954717: Hilda HongellWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Hilda Hongell is recorded at birth as Hilda Elisabeth Sjöblom. Recorded as master builder and architect. Works and catalogued output.
Eriksson House
1876
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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