Demolition of old Helsinki railway storehouses to begin in May

Bricks, doors, windows to be used again

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Demolition of parts of the old railway storehouses in the centre of Helsinki, across the street from the House of Parliament, is set to begin in early May.
      The main part of the partial dismantling of the century-old red-brick buildings known locally as "makasiinit", will take a few weeks, making way for a planned massive music centre. The fate of the storehouses was the focus of a long-standing dispute, with thousands of people in Helsinki calling for their preservation as an alternative cultural centre.
     
First to go will be structures containing asbestos, creosote, and other toxic substances. After that, there will be a more painstaking job of removing parts that are to be preserved. These include roof structures, windows, doors, stones, and bricks. They are to be given new life in other buildings that are to be put up.
      For instance, the stones in the buildings are to be used as construction material for a park building near the part of the storehouses that is to be preserved.
      When the demolition work completed, by August this year, only 50 metres of the far end will remain standing.
     
The last remaining businesses in the buildings, the ecological retailer Ruohonjuuri ("Grass Roots") and the Magito photo studio, are in the process of moving.
      Ruohonjuuri, which begins its final clearance sale on Friday, will remain open through the end of March. Magito will hold a nostalgic exhibition on the history of the storehouses, including video presentations,  from Sunday through Wednesday.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  YLE gives approval for funding of new Music House (17.11.2004)
  Töölönlahti zoning plan gets approval - green light for music centre (30.3.2004)
  No repair or demolition in sight for railway storehouses for several years (5.7.2002)
  Helsinki City Council approves proposal for partial demolition of railway storehouses (28.2.2002)
  Top names in classical music clash over location of planned music centre (19.12.2001)
  Thousands protest planned demolition of old railway storehouse buildings in Helsinki (18.9.2000)

Helsingin Sanomat