Architect of the Helsinki Workers’ House

In 1906 the architect Karl Lindahl (1874-1930) won the design competition for the Helsinki Workers’ House. The resulting building, which now carries the name Helsinki Congress Paasitorni, is an impressive example of Finnish Jugend architecture and one of the most famous works of its less well-known designer.

A native of Sweden, Lindahl made his mark in Finnish history as a little known architect – he designed only a few public buildings and left no memoirs. Although he spoke Swedish, language was not such a major issue among the architects and artists of his generation as everyone was working towards social reforms within the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. At the start of the 20th century a unique form of Jugend architecture – the predominant architectural trend of the time, referred to also as Art Nouveau in French and Anglo-Saxon cultures – developed within Finland based on National Romanticism, which sought to express Finland’s place among nations.

Architect Karl Lindahl. Photograph: The Finnish Labour Archives.

For Lindahl, who for the most part had designed smaller buildings, the Helsinki Workers’ House represented an important milestone, not least because it marked the beginning of his independent career as an architect. His greatest accomplishments before then had been designed together with other architects. Between 1900 and 1905 his business partner was Valter Thomé, with whom he had studied.

Workers’ houses in Finland were the central meeting places for workers’ associations. The first workers’ associations had been established in the 19th century to promote co-operation among workers, improve conditions and promote culture and education. An active period of building workers’ houses began in Finland after 1905. Workers’ houses were intended as places where workers could meet and spend their free time, and they also served as a link between recreational activities and the workers’ movement. In those days Finnish workers were very active; for example, theatre activities were considerably more popular among Finnish workers than their German counterparts in the 1910s. By 1916 the number of workers’ houses in Finland had already exceeded the number of churches!

To make way for the Helsinki Workers’ House, the site had to be quarried out of the bedrock. On the initiative of workers who carried out the excavation work, Lindahl designed a section of the façade to feature granite in the Scottish “squared rubble” style. There were other buildings in Helsinki with similar natural rock façades, but Paasitorni became a 22-metre-high stone giant that stood tall among public buildings.

“In other ways too the building stood out in the predominantly wooden part of town. The interior was also impressive in terms of both size and appearance, and the main hall was made even larger than that of the University of Helsinki,” says Kati Kosonen, Sales Manager at Helsinki Congress Paasitorni.

Sketch of Paasilinna from the early 1900s. The main hall with seating for over 1000 people can be seen in the left. Photograph: Helsinki Congress Paasitorni.

The building, which was completed in 1908, was also considered a symbol of the rising workers’ movement. Lindahl adorned the interior with images of tools and symbols depicting the different professions.

The building became the direct target of artillery fire during Finland’s Civil War in 1918, suffering major damage as a result. For example, the roof of the main hall collapsed. Renovation work began the following year. Lindahl again played a key role having become the trusted architect of the Helsinki Workers’ Association at the end of the war. He redesigned the top of the tower, which had suffered severe fire damage, and designed a new extension that was completed in 1925. Lindahl spent most of the 1920s designing industrial buildings, including the entire mill community of the Ahlström company in Varkaus, Eastern Finland.

Numerous redecorations over the years covered a lot of Lindahl’s original designs, which were revealed 15 years ago when work began on restoring the original interior. Today the impressive Jugend colours and patterns can once again be admired in all their splendour.  

Karl Lindahl Hall.