Helsinki plans to brighten up city centre
The most beautiful houses in the City of Helsinki's tourist heart have long been occupied by offices. In contrast with other European cities, the absence of the city centre bustle with cafés and restaurants has been conspicuous at the Market Square and Senate Square, two of the prime tourist destinations.
However, the Helsinki City Board has now decided to brighten up the so-called "Elephant" block of buildings bordered by Pohjoisesplanadi, Katariinankatu, Aleksanterinkatu, and Helenankatu. Currently, most of the buildings are owned by the City of Helsinki itself.
The side of the block bordering Pohjoisesplanadi and the Market Square is dominated by the red facade of the Swedish Embassy. The yellow building next-door with a rounded facade is the Lampa House, and the pink house on the left is the so-called "Kleineh Hotel", which is a former hotel and restaurant owned by Louis Kleineh in the 19th century.
The City plans to start looking for an outside entrepreneur who would lease the Lampa House on the Market Square. The tenant could settle in the house already at the beginning of the year 2006. However, the house is in bad shape, and it will be expensive to repair the property, which is covered by a protection order. Therefore, the term of the contract would be as long as 30 to 40 years.
According to Helsinki's Mayor for City Planning and Real Estate Pekka Korpinen (SDP), the tenant will be chosen on the basis of a business concept competition which will be arranged once the change of the city plan has been approved by the City Board.
Korpinen himself believes that a wine bar or a fish restaurant would be a good idea - or even a hotel. However, the Lampa House building alone would be too small to house a hotel. It would require absorbing the premises of the Balder Hall on the corner of Aleksanterinkatu and Helenankatu - provided that its owner could be persuaded to rent out the house.
The Kleineh Hotel on the left side of the Swedish Embassy will be vacant in 3 to 5 years' time after the offices in it have been located elsewhere. Even the City's other buildings in the Elephant Block and in the neighbouring blocks will be included in the brightening-up project.
Among other ideas to bring a bit of life into the city centre would be the idea to get rid of the tramline in Katariinankatu and turn it into a pedestrian street.
The project to spruce up the tourist centre of Helsinki is estimated to last ten years.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 20.9.2005 - TODAY |
 Helsinki plans to brighten up city centre
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