The sale of bricks from Helsinki’s old railway warehouses got off to a slow start on Tuesday. Less than 1,000 of the 10,000 bricks on sale had been sold by the evening.
The sale of the bricks will continue every weekday from nine AM to five PM as long as supplies last. "If there are still bricks left, we may organise a sale on the weekend as well", said Jukka Väisänen. Väisänen is the head of Helsingin Talosiirto, the company responsible for the demolition of the warehouses.
The most enthusiastic buyers were on the spot almost an hour before the selloff began.
The first brick went to Mirjam Efron, who said that she will put it it on top of her bookshelf.
According to Väisänen, some people bought one or two bricks as keepsakes. Others got as many as a 100 for construction purposes.
Bricks are being sold individually as well as in larger batches. The price of a single brick is EUR 5. The bricks on sale are form the northern wing, which was sustained less damage than the southern wing in a fire that swept through the warehouses in May.
Buyers get their bricks in a handy paper bags with an ornate inscription: VR warehouses 1899-2006.
The revenue from the sale of the bricks will be donated to the Association of Friends of the University Children’s Hospital.
