The Helsinki City Hall, built in 1833, originally functioned as a hotel, which was Helsinki’s cultural and entertainment centre of the time. Hotel Seurahuone was designed by Tsar Alexander I of Russia’s favourite architect, Carl Ludvig Engel. The hotel’s lease ended in 1913 and it moved to its present premises near the Helsinki Railway Station.

The outbreak of WWI in 1914 disrupted the plans for building a new City Hall, which resulted in repairing and transforming the old hotel building for use of the city council. The new City Hall was officially inaugurated in 1932. In the 1940s various minor refurbishments were carried out, but in the 1950s the authorities wanted to modernise the facilities.

In 1960 an architectural competition was held for designing the refurbishment, and it was won by Aarno Ruusuvuori’s proposal “Stone Menagerie”. Only the façade, the entrance colonnade and the banquet hall were classified as cultural-historically and architecturally valuable. Everything else in the block was demolished. Ruusuvuori designed the interiors down to the smallest detail in accordance with the ideals of modernistic architecture. The reconstruction project was one of the cases to start the debate of built heritage protection in Finland. The debate was followed by the initiative for the legislation for the protection of built heritage.

The renovations continued in the 1980s and were completed in 1988. A building for the Council Chamber, also designed by Ruusuvuori, was constructed in the block’s inner courtyard, with a restaurant for civil servants on its first floor. The most recent renovation was in 1998–99.

Location

Pohjoisesplanadi 11–13, Helsinki
60.1680285, 24.9532582

Images

View from the Market Square, Helsinki City Hall
View from the Market Square, Helsinki City Hall (© Anneli Hongisto / City of Helsinki Media Bank)
Façade of former Hotel Seurahuone by C. L. Engel, Helsinki City Hall
Façade of former Hotel Seurahuone by C. L. Engel, Helsinki City Hall (© Seppo Laakso / City of Helsinki Media Bank)
Entrance floor after remodelling by Aarno Ruusuvuori, Helsinki City Hall
Entrance floor after remodelling by Aarno Ruusuvuori, Helsinki City Hall (© Ilari Järvinen / City of Helsinki Media Bank)
Main staircase by Aarno Ruusuvuori, Helsinki City Hall
Main staircase by Aarno Ruusuvuori, Helsinki City Hall (© Ilari Järvinen / Helsinki City Museum)
Banquet hall, Helsinki City Hall
Banquet hall, Helsinki City Hall (© Ilari Järvinen / Helsinki City Museum)
Inner courtyard, Helsinki City Hall
Inner courtyard, Helsinki City Hall (© Ilari Järvinen / Helsinki City Museum)

More projects by authors

Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Merimiehenkatu Housing

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Tapiola Church

  • Espoo
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

The WeeGee Exhibition Centre (Weiling & Göös Printing House)

  • Espoo
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Huutoniemi Church

  • Vaasa
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Hyvinkää Church

  • Hyvinkää
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Turku Cathedral

  • Turku
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Merikasarmi Naval Barracks

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Kaarti Barracks

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Helsinki Observatory

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Helsinki University

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Government Banquet Hall Smolna

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

The Old Church

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Lapinlahti Hospital

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Turku Observatory

  • Turku
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Senate Palace

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

National Library of Finland

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Roihuvuori School

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Presidential Palace

  • Helsinki
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Helsinki Cathedral

  • Helsinki

Nearby projects

Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Jugend Hall

  • 100 m
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Wuorio Commercial Building

  • 100 m
Empty placeholder image
Bookmark

Presidential Palace

  • 200 m