VR warehouses
Encyclopedia
The VR warehouses were a group of redbrick railway warehouse
s in the centre of Helsinki
, Finland
. Their official address was 13 Mannerheimintie. The oldest parts of the warehouses were designed by Bruno Granholm
and built in 1898–1899, when they served as the cargo terminal for the Helsinki Central railway station
. The warehouses were extended in 1908 and 1917, and the most recent additions were from the 1950s. They were used by the state-owned VR Group
as cargo warehouses until the 1980s when they were abandoned and gradually fell into disrepair. The warehouses were without a permanent specific purpose but could be rented by anyone wishing to organize some sort of public event.
The warehouses were a popular location for regular fleamarkets. Also, various music concerts, including the Tuska
heavy metal
festival during 1999 and 2000, were often held at the warehouses, and in 2004 and 2005 they hosted Perv Park, Helsinki's biggest BDSM
convention. The warehouses included a couple of ecological shops and band rehearsal studios.
The warehouses had been under a threat of demolition to make way for a new Helsinki Music Centre
concert hall for almost a decade. In early 2006, a decision was finally made to construct the Music Hall on the site, preserving only a small section of the warehouses for use as a pavilion-type cafe within the park surrounding the concert hall. The demolition work began on May 6 2006 following a fire the previous day.
, but police concluded in July that year that it had been an accidental fire that smouldered for several hours before suddenly breaking out across a large part of the building.
However, this event had been preceded by the EuroMayDay
riots just a few days earlier. Some people decided to set up a bonfire
between the warehouses in the night of May 1. The fire almost got to the warehouses, and when the fire department tried to put it out, they were attacked by a group of people. Riot police were dispatched to protect the firemen, and they also had stones thrown at them.
A small section at the end of the southern warehouse damaged by fire was planned to be preserved and used as a pavilion-like cafe extension to the concert hall. This viewpoint was contrary, however, to many people's wishes to preserve the warehouses in their entirety due to their perceived historical and communal value. However, in August 2006, the Finnish police mistakenly ordered the demolition of the protected section.
in 1900, a large area of land in the centre of the city was left for use as a railway yard. There had been numerous plans to integrate the area within the city plan, including master plans by architects Eliel Saarinen
and Alvar Aalto
, none of which were realised. Consequently, a number of key public buildings ended up being built around the edge of the yards, including the Parliament building
, the Finlandia Hall
concert hall and the Kiasma
Museum of Contemporary Art. As the state railways had decreasing need of the railway yard, it became to be regarded as a waste ground, and the City of Helsinki began to promote new uses for the site, and in 1985 held an architecture-city planning competition for the area. The results again proved inconclusive and the area has since been developed piecemeal. In a stage II plan for an extension to Kiasma, American architect Steven Holl
proposed a park-feature spreading directly north from his own building and cutting directly through the warehouses. The idea plan was never taken any further.
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s in the centre of Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Their official address was 13 Mannerheimintie. The oldest parts of the warehouses were designed by Bruno Granholm
Bruno Granholm
Bruno Ferdinand Granholm was a Finnish architect. He served as the chief architect of Rautatiehallitus between 1892 and 1926...
and built in 1898–1899, when they served as the cargo terminal for the Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station is a widely recognised landmark in central Helsinki, Finland, and the focal point of public transport in the Greater Helsinki area. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building...
. The warehouses were extended in 1908 and 1917, and the most recent additions were from the 1950s. They were used by the state-owned VR Group
VR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
as cargo warehouses until the 1980s when they were abandoned and gradually fell into disrepair. The warehouses were without a permanent specific purpose but could be rented by anyone wishing to organize some sort of public event.
The warehouses were a popular location for regular fleamarkets. Also, various music concerts, including the Tuska
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, shortly Tuska , is the largest music festival dedicated only to metal and related styles of music in the Nordic countries. The history of Tuska began in 1998 and it has grown larger every year. The location of the festival has been in Kaisaniemi park in the middle of...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
festival during 1999 and 2000, were often held at the warehouses, and in 2004 and 2005 they hosted Perv Park, Helsinki's biggest BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
convention. The warehouses included a couple of ecological shops and band rehearsal studios.
The warehouses had been under a threat of demolition to make way for a new Helsinki Music Centre
Helsinki Music Centre
The Helsinki Music Centre is a concert hall and a music center in Töölönlahti, Helsinki. The building is home to Sibelius Academy and two symphony orchestras, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra....
concert hall for almost a decade. In early 2006, a decision was finally made to construct the Music Hall on the site, preserving only a small section of the warehouses for use as a pavilion-type cafe within the park surrounding the concert hall. The demolition work began on May 6 2006 following a fire the previous day.
Fire
On Friday May 5, 2006, the older southern warehouse was badly damaged by a blazing fire. The building was totally gutted, the fire leaving just the brick walls standing. It was widely believed at first that the fire was a case of arsonArson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, but police concluded in July that year that it had been an accidental fire that smouldered for several hours before suddenly breaking out across a large part of the building.
However, this event had been preceded by the EuroMayDay
EuroMayDay
EuroMayDay is a political day of action against precarity promoted by a network of feminist, anti-capitalist and migrant groups and collectives in mostly Western Europe. It takes place on the 1st of May each year, May Day, traditionally a celebration of solidarity among workers across the world...
riots just a few days earlier. Some people decided to set up a bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
between the warehouses in the night of May 1. The fire almost got to the warehouses, and when the fire department tried to put it out, they were attacked by a group of people. Riot police were dispatched to protect the firemen, and they also had stones thrown at them.
A small section at the end of the southern warehouse damaged by fire was planned to be preserved and used as a pavilion-like cafe extension to the concert hall. This viewpoint was contrary, however, to many people's wishes to preserve the warehouses in their entirety due to their perceived historical and communal value. However, in August 2006, the Finnish police mistakenly ordered the demolition of the protected section.
The urban context of the warehouses
Due to the way Helsinki had developed with the construction of the Helsinki Central railway stationHelsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station is a widely recognised landmark in central Helsinki, Finland, and the focal point of public transport in the Greater Helsinki area. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building...
in 1900, a large area of land in the centre of the city was left for use as a railway yard. There had been numerous plans to integrate the area within the city plan, including master plans by architects Eliel Saarinen
Eliel Saarinen
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century....
and Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
, none of which were realised. Consequently, a number of key public buildings ended up being built around the edge of the yards, including the Parliament building
Eduskuntatalo
Parliament House is the seat of the Parliament of Finland. It is located in the Finnish capital of Helsinki, in the district of Töölö.-History:In 1923 a competition was held to choose a site for a new Parliament House...
, the Finlandia Hall
Finlandia Hall
Finlandia Hall is a concert hall with a congress wing in Helsinki, Finland, by Töölönlahti bay. The building was designed by Alvar Aalto. The work began in 1967 and was completed in 1971.-Design and building:...
concert hall and the Kiasma
Kiasma
Kiasma is a contemporary art museum located on Mannerheimintie in Helsinki, Finland. Its name kiasma, Finnish for chiasma, alludes to the basic conceptual idea of its architect, Steven Holl. The museum exhibits the contemporary art collection of the Finnish National Gallery founded in 1990...
Museum of Contemporary Art. As the state railways had decreasing need of the railway yard, it became to be regarded as a waste ground, and the City of Helsinki began to promote new uses for the site, and in 1985 held an architecture-city planning competition for the area. The results again proved inconclusive and the area has since been developed piecemeal. In a stage II plan for an extension to Kiasma, American architect Steven Holl
Steven Holl
Steven Holl is an American architect and watercolorist, perhaps best known for the 1998 Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum in Helsinki, Finland, the 2003 Simmons Hall at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the celebrated 2007 Bloch Building addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City,...
proposed a park-feature spreading directly north from his own building and cutting directly through the warehouses. The idea plan was never taken any further.