Kulttuuritalo

Kulttuuritalo (Finnish: Kulttuuritalo, Swedish: Kulturhuset) is a building in Alppila, Helsinki, Finland. The building was designed by Alvar Aalto, and is considered to be one of his main works.

Kulttuuritalo
General information
TypeCultural
Architectural styleModern
LocationAlppila, Helsinki, Finland
AddressSturenkatu 4
Coordinates60°11′18″N 024°56′39″E
Current tenantsSodexo
Construction started1955
Completed1958
OwnerSenate Properties
Design and construction
ArchitectAlvar Aalto
Other information
Seating capacity1452 + 2
Website
https://www.kulttuuritalo.fi/en/home/

The building

The building combines a concert hall, an office building and a lecture-theatre block connecting the two. Uniting the whole, along the street frontage, is a 60-metre (200 ft) canopy.[1]

History

Kulttuuritalo was originally built for Finnish Communist cultural organizations. Aalto designed the building pro bono and was given complete artistic freedom; the construction work was done largely by volunteers. Work began in 1955, and the building was opened in 1958.

The building was owned by the Communist Party by a nonprofit foundation until the 1990, when the bankruptcy of the Finnish Communist Party forced its sale.

Today its owned by the government owned Senate Properties. The building is protected by a decision made by the Finnish Council of State in 1989.

Famous artists who have played at the venue include Jimi Hendrix in 1967, Cream in 1967, Led Zeppelin in 1970, Frank Zappa & Queen in 1974, AC/DC in 1977, Ramones in 1977 and 1990, Tina Turner in 1982, Metallica in 1984, Hanoi Rocks and Leonard Cohen in 1985, Iron Maiden in 1995, Lady Gaga in 2009, Stratovarius and Helloween in 2010. Frank Zappa played 3 concerts in September 1974, that were released as an album in the early 1990s.

References
  1. "House of Culture Helsinki by Alvar Aalto". Galinsky.com. Retrieved 4 January 2019.

Further reading
  • Karl Fleig, Alvar Aalto, (1974), ISBN 0-275-49660-0, p33. interior photo of auditorium, p32. exterior photo of entry canopy, p31.
  • Peter Gossel and Gabrile Leuthauser, Architecture in the Twentieth Century, (1991), ISBN 3-8228-0550-5, exterior photo of wall, p243.
  • Malcolm Quantrill, Alvar Aalto: A Critical Study, (1983), ISBN 0-8052-3845-X, exterior color photo of roof and brick detail, fig VIII.
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