The City Hall Quarter the Lion Block

The City Hall Quarter The Lion Block 3 4 The Lion Block a Helsinki City Hall – former Hotel Seurahuone (Societetshuset) b Banquet Hall c City Council Chamber d Empire Room e Bock House – the Old Town Hall f Burtz and Hellenius Houses f e d c b a Street Pohjoisesplanadi 11–13 8 The Lion Block Helsinki City Hall is located in the “Lion Block” of The Lion Block Throughout the first decades of the the Empire-style city centre. The southern side of 19th century, the capital of the auton- was the centre of omous Grand Duchy of Finland was the block is dominated by the City Hall’s Neoclassi- little else but a massive construction cal façade. City offices, meeting rooms and recep- Helsinki’s site. A number of public buildings went tion halls are situated in former merchant houses business and social up for use by the country’s govern- on the Senate Square side. Offices and restaurants ment and academia. As the city grew, can be found on the streets encircling the block. life until the early it became necessary to give names to the new blocks and streets. Blocks were Helsinki City Council meets in a new building in 20th century the centre of the block. often named after flora and fauna. As a result, the Lion Block’s neighbouring The oldest buildings of the Lion Block date blocks became the Elephant, the from the 18th century. The block was given its Rhinoceros and the Dromedary. The current layout during the Russian era (1809–1917), streets Aleksanterinkatu, Sofiankatu following Johan Albrecht Ehrenström’s city plan and Katariinankatu, which encircle from 1812. In the same year, Helsinki became the the block, received their names capital of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland. from members of the Berlin-born Carl Ludvig Engel (1778–1840) was Russian Royal family. commissioned to design many of the public Pohjoisesplanadi, to which the City Hall buildings of the new capital. These buildings opens, forms an included the Seurahuone Hotel (Hotel Soci- attractive espla- etetshuset), which today houses the City Hall. nade complex Until the early 20th century, the Lion Block, together with together with its neighbouring areas, was the Eteläesplanadi centre of the city’s business and social life. and the adjoining Esplanade Park. 1 3 a CiT y Hall City Hall – former Hotel Seurahuone The Seurahuone Hotel, designed by C. L. Engel, From a place of Helsinki, founded by King Gustavus was completed in 1833. Hotel operations contin- Vasa of Sweden in 1550, began to ued in this building until 1913, when they moved entertainment for grow into a city only after it became the capital of the new Grand Duchy into the current Seurahuone hotel facilities next high society to city of Finland in 1812. According to the to Helsinki Railway Station. The City of Helsinki hall wish of Russia’s Tsar Alexander I, the had acquired the building in 1901 in order to capital was built on a grand scale. The build a new city hall on the site. However, a de- city expanded, and its population grew. cision to demolish the building was never reached New facilities were needed for social life and, instead, the old building was renovated, and cultural events. The Seurahuone turned into a city hall, and reopened in January Hotel was the main stage for entertainment until the early 20th century. 1932. The City Council met in the Banquet Hall in 1932–1965. Major renovations to the building based on a plan by architect Aarno Ruusuvuori were made in 1965–1970. Excluding the Banquet Hall, all indoor spaces were torn down and re- built into modern office spaces. 3 5 a CiT y Hall City Hall opens to the public The lobby of the City Hall encompasses a general The Lion Block The façade, the entrance colonnade information point, “Virka Info”, and an exhibition and the Banquet Hall are the only parts space, “Virka Gallery”. The information point’s staff is an attraction to of the former Seurahuone Hotel which remain as they were during hotel oper- assists residents with questions related to city ser- both residents and ations. The entrance hall and the City vices. The staff also accepts applications, forms and visitors Hall’s other indoor spaces, re-designed initiatives. The area has wireless Internet access and by Professor Aarno Ruusuvuori (1925– a Helsinki City Library computer terminal available 1992), represent 1970s’ architecture. for use by city residents and visitors. Virka Gallery’s After its major renovation was changing exhibitions showcase Helsinki and other completed, the City Hall received a rep- cities, offering viewpoints to interesting cultural, resentative collection of contemporary Finnish art. Valoseinä (Llight Wall”, architectural and social phenomena. The lobby, as 1971) by Eino Ruutsalo is part of the well as the Banquet Hall, is also used for concerts. permanent collection in the gallery, as The Lion Block and its neighbouring areas are Rut Bryk’s ceramic relief Kaupunki were the centre of lively entertainment in the 19th auringossa (“City in the Sun”, 1975), century. There are now plans to rejuvenate the and sculptor Kimmo Kaivanto’s Ketju Lion Block by opening the doors of these historic (“Chain”, 1971). The last of the three buildings to the public and to restore the block’s seems to extend into infinity thanks to character as an attractive visitor’s site with restau- mirrors placed above and below the work. rants, shops and clubs at street level. 5 7 b BanqueT Hall Banquet Hall The Banquet Hall of Seurahuone was used for balls, The Banquet Popular concerts by conductor Robert banquets, concerts and tea parties. The kitchen Kajanus and the Helsinki Orchestra Society, the current Helsinki Philhar- was of high quality and brought European novel- Hall has retained monic Orchestra, were held many times ties within the reach of Helsinki’s gourmets. Other its 19th century per week, and the hall was the venue important cultural trends of the time were also form for these concerts for three decades, introduced at Seurahuone. A representative of from 1882 onward. Foreign conduc- French Lumière Cinématographe showed the first tors and soloists brought international motion picture in Finland in the hotel’s Banquet colour to Helsinki’s music life. Many of Hall in summer 1896, only six months after the Jean Sibelius’ works were premiered at world premiere in Paris. Seurahuone The Banquet Hall is the only space in the City Hall which has retained its 19th century form. Seurahuone’s original main hall, which was situated in the western part of the building’s second and third floors, was changed into hotel rooms in the 1860s, and a new hall was built in the building’s courtyard in 1863. The Banquet Hall was expanded into its current form in 1887, according to a plan by architect Bruno Granholm. 7 9 c CiTy CounCiL City Council meets in the newest building of the block The Council Chamber of Helsinki City Council is Helsinki’s highest Helsinki City Council convened for the situated in the centre of the Lion Block in a new first time in 1875 in the main hall of the building completed in summer 1988. The 85-mem- decision-making Bock House, chaired by Senator Leo Mechelin. The Council was chosen by ber Council meets in this chamber, designed by body, the City general election, and it became the Professor Ruusuvuori, every other Wednesday. The Council, convenes City’s highest decision-making body. public can follow the meetings from the gallery, The highest administrative body was the accessible from an entrance at Sofiankatu 3 A. in the heart of the Magistrate, whose task was to monitor Lion Block the City’s finances. During 1912–1931, the City Council met in Pörssitalo and, from 1932, in the City Hall’s Banquet Hall (former Seurahuone’s main hall). From 1965 to 1988, the meetings were held at the White Hall in the neighbouring block. Since 1988, the Council has had a permanent meeting space in the Council Chamber, built in the centre of the City Hall block. 9 11 d BoCk HouSe Bock House – the old Town Hall The construction of Sveaborg, or Fortress of Fin- Merchant Bock’s The core of Helsinki’s Neoclassical land (Suomenlinna), was begun in 1748. It en- centre is Senate Square. The Square is encircled by the Main Building of riched the Helsinki bourgeoisie. As an indication, house served as the University of Helsinki, the Helsinki they built new stone buildings for housing and of- the residence of the Cathedral, the Government Palace, fices. The Senate Square side of the Lion Block is Governor-General and the Lion Block’s merchant houses, made up of a row of merchant houses built in the where the capital’s main political and late 18th century. The oldest of them dates to 1763 and as a town hall administrative bodies were placed in and belonged to merchant and magistrate Gustav the late 19th century. Johan Bock. As Helsinki’s new centre was under construction, the Bock House was expanded and raised into a three-storey building in 1816–1819, according to C. L. Engel’s design. During the block’s most recent renovation in 1985–1988, this house, which had been in administrative and office uses and had undergone many changes, was restored in the spirit of Engel’s plans as regards room division and colours. Excluding its ground floor offices, the Bock House today serves City’s receptions. Some of the rooms serve City Council meetings and receptions.

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