Fiilar

History

The plot was still undeveloped in the mid-1700s and was part of the town’s tobacco cultivation. In 1800, the owner of the Fiilar plot is mentioned as Maija Pajeng, the widow of a village merchant, who was poor. The oldest buildings on the plot date from the second half of the 17th century.

Fire insurance and modification drafts

In the 1883 fire insurance deed, the owner of the plot is listed as Johan Stenroos, a sailor. The plot consisted of two residential buildings along Itäkatu and four outbuildings, one of which was built at right angles to the southernmost residential building. The southernmost residential building was a semi-detached house with a single outbuilding added at the southern end. There was a hall, two chambers, a bakery and an entrance hall. The northernmost building was a single room at the base with a laundry room, a chamber and an entrance hall. According to the fire insurance document, the buildings were constructed in ancient times.

The main building on Itäkatu was unlined, but painted red and with a board roof. The rooms consisted of a hall, two chambers and a bakery, as well as a hallway and a porch. There were three tiled stoves and a baking oven. The smaller street-side building was tiled, unpainted and unplanked. It had a laundry room, chamber and hallway. The fireplaces had a tiled stove and a stove with an oven in the laundry room.

It has been suggested that these two residential buildings could date from the first phase of construction on the site in the second half of the 1700s. The 1890 drawing shows a second semi-detached house on the southern boundary of the plot, which is attached at its eastern end to the oldest part of the main building. At the time the fire insurance was taken out, there was still an outbuilding on the site with a log dining hall, stables, shed and a board-built latrine. It is possible that the outbuilding was later converted into a residential building. There were a couple of other small outbuildings on the site, an old grey building made of logs and boards in the middle of the plot, which comprised a barn and a barn shed. On the southern boundary was a separate old grey barn. There was also a cellar with a slate roof on the plot. The western part of the plot was a garden and the southern boundary had a board fence. The gate was between two buildings facing the east side.

The 1886 drawing shows a kitchen projecting in front of the oldest double room in the main building. The current long outbuilding on the northern edge of the plot also dates from the same period.

In 1888, John F. Lindegren designed the ornate neo-renaissance facades of the residential building. At the same time, the plan was to demolish the separate bakery building, build a new bakery, a couple of chambers and a porch as an extension to the residential building on the Itäkatu side, and provide a gateway to the northern boundary of the plot. Part of the eastern end of the outbuilding was to be demolished and a couple of storerooms were to be added at the other end of the building. Only the façades of the plan were completed.

In 1893, new fire insurance was taken out. The owner of the house at that time was Maurus Isaksson, a master builder. According to the fire insurance policy, the main building was repaired, boarded up, painted with oil paint and covered with felt in 1886. The building has eight living rooms and three hallways. There are six tiled stoves and two kitchen stoves with stoves. The smaller building on the east side was partly rebuilt in 1890 and put in good condition, boarded up, painted with oil paint and covered with felt. In addition, the building has a boarded porch. The building has a baking room with an oven and a chamber with a tiled stove.

In 1886, a new outbuilding had been built, partly of logs and partly of boards. It was unpainted and covered with boards. The building contained a stable and a barn with a hayloft, a latrine, a dung hold and a woodshed. The old outbuildings had been removed.

In 1898, the main building was extended in its western part according to Maurus Isaksson’s plan, leaving the old semi-detached buildings in the courtyard. The main building has been preserved in the neo-renaissance style designed by Maurus Iisaksson, while the smaller residential building is in the style designed by John F. Lindegren.

In 1922, three kiosks were to be opened on the plot, of which at least one was built.

In 1978, plans were made to modernise housing. Changes and renovations were gradually made in the 1980s and 1990s. Attics have also been used as extra rooms for the apartment. There are currently four apartments in the building.

Current situation

Residential building
Long-cornered residential building, western part and current neo-renaissance lining in 1889 (Maurus Isaksson)

Small residential building
Elongated residential building, neo-renaissance lining in 1888 (John F. Lindegren), saddle roof

External building
Horizontal timber-framed outbuilding dating from 1886

Gate
Reconstructed to the old model