Norrmén house
Encyclopedia
The Norrmén house, also known as the Norrmén castle and palace, was a red brick residential house representing the neo-renaissance architecture, situated for 63 years in Katajanokka
, Helsinki
, Finland
, opposite the Uspenski Cathedral. It was designed by architect Theodor Höijer for the chairman of the Helsinki city council, Alfred Norrmén, who ordered the building plans from Höijer in 1896.
The four-floor building was constructed at a fast pace, and the building was already completed in 1897. The top floor of the building contained high-class large apartments, while the much smaller apartments on the bottom floor were mainly reserved for servants. Alfred Norrmén himself lived in the building until his death in 1942. The building also hosted the Eastern Emigrants Club and its restaurant until 1944, when it was discontinued.
Later the building hosted the Allied Commission
.
The Norrmén house was dismantled in 1960. The Enso-Gutzeit (currently Stora Enso
) main office, built from white marble and designed by Alvar Aalto
, was built in its place. It was completed in 1962.
The dismantling of the house has been criticised ever since the year of its dismantling, and many view Aalto's new building in its place as completely unfit for the façade of Katajanokka, and the dismantling of the Norrmén house as one of the greatest wrongdoings in the history of Helsinki. Some have even proposed that Aalto's building should be dismantled and a replica of the Norrmén house should be built in its place. However, the city of Helsinki, along with the National Board of Antiquities is strongly in favour of preserving the main office building.
In the 2004 film Pelikaanimies
, directed by Liisa Helminen, the Norrmén house has been digitally built back in its place.
Katajanokka
Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...
, 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...
, opposite the Uspenski Cathedral. It was designed by architect Theodor Höijer for the chairman of the Helsinki city council, Alfred Norrmén, who ordered the building plans from Höijer in 1896.
The four-floor building was constructed at a fast pace, and the building was already completed in 1897. The top floor of the building contained high-class large apartments, while the much smaller apartments on the bottom floor were mainly reserved for servants. Alfred Norrmén himself lived in the building until his death in 1942. The building also hosted the Eastern Emigrants Club and its restaurant until 1944, when it was discontinued.
Later the building hosted the Allied Commission
Allied Commission
Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allied Powers were in control of the defeated Axis countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission and a proposed Far Eastern Advisory Commission to make recommendations...
.
The Norrmén house was dismantled in 1960. The Enso-Gutzeit (currently Stora Enso
Stora Enso
Stora Enso Oyj is a Finnish pulp and paper manufacturer, formed by the merger of Swedish mining and forestry products company Stora and Finnish forestry products company Enso-Gutzeit Oy in 1998. It is headquartered in Helsinki, and it has approximately 29,000 employees...
) main office, built from white marble and designed by Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
, was built in its place. It was completed in 1962.
The dismantling of the house has been criticised ever since the year of its dismantling, and many view Aalto's new building in its place as completely unfit for the façade of Katajanokka, and the dismantling of the Norrmén house as one of the greatest wrongdoings in the history of Helsinki. Some have even proposed that Aalto's building should be dismantled and a replica of the Norrmén house should be built in its place. However, the city of Helsinki, along with the National Board of Antiquities is strongly in favour of preserving the main office building.
In the 2004 film Pelikaanimies
Pelikaanimies
Pelicanman is a 2004 Finnish fantasy film.-Plot:A pelican magically changes his appearance into that of a young man. He walks and acts somewhat oddly compared to real humans, and at first he does not know much about humans, but he learns fast. He rents an apartment and gets a job...
, directed by Liisa Helminen, the Norrmén house has been digitally built back in its place.