Ruikk

History

In 1756, the Ruikan plot was owned by Gabriel Stengrund. In 1800 the plot belonged to the younger son of bourgeois Matti Antin and the poorer Fredrik Antin, a turner.

Fire insurance

In 1866, the house was insured by E. Lundström, a goldsmith’s brother. The insurance covered the western side of the plot, which included one building along Kuninkaankatu, another on the western border of the plot and a third at the rear of the plot, on its northern border.

The building on the side of the street was a log residential building. It was still unplanked and unpainted. It had a hall, a chamber and a hallway. There were two tiled stoves. The second building was an outbuilding, also recently built of logs, unplanked but painted red. It had a pantry, a baker’s room, a hall and a wood-burning stove. There was one tiled stove and a baking oven. The outbuilding at the back of the courtyard was old and in fair condition, unplanked but painted red brick. The building contained a barn and a shed.

In January 1906, both outbuildings had been damaged by fire. In the rear building, the roof, the east wall and the ceilings had burnt down. The floors and fireplaces were damaged. The other outbuilding had a damaged east-facing wall, water roof and door. The fire had started during the night in a neighbouring barn, which was completely destroyed by the fire. Even the cows could not be saved. Because the fire brigade took some time to arrive at night and there was also a shortage of water, the fire took such hold that the buildings on the neighbouring property were also damaged. The situation looked threatening, but when a new steam hose was started, the fire was brought under control.

Only the eastern part of the plot now remains. It was insured in 1886. The house was then owned by the sailor Gustaf Nordman. There was a residential and outbuilding on the plot along Kuninkaankatu and in the open space to the west of the plot, and another building on the northern boundary of the plot. The corner building was made partly of logs and partly of board. It was old, boarded up and painted with red paint. The roof was made of boards. The building had a hall and three chambers, a barn and a woodshed. The second building on the site was a log bakehouse. It was old, unplanked and unpainted, with a boarded roof. The bake house was built together with a neighbouring row of outbuildings. Under the barn was a vaulted cellar.

Modification drafts

The oldest of the surviving drawings dates from 1909 and was made by Arvi Leikari. The residential building along Kuninkaankatu had had two rooms. Now it was extended. The new corner room was converted into a commercial apartment with a display window on both sides. A kitchen and a porch were also built on the courtyard side. The second residential building was in the courtyard, on the eastern boundary of the plot. It contained a baker’s pantry, a room and a hallway. There was also an outbuilding on the northern boundary of the plot. It was renovated during the alterations. The street-side building was given a new Art Nouveau look. A gate and a high fence were added to the façade. The top of the gate had a grille. In 1910, the baking oven was abandoned and the baking room in the courtyard building became a room and the hall was converted into a kitchen.

In 1927, the building on Kuninkaankatu still had an apartment, two rooms and a kitchen. The house was owned by the Satakunta shoe factory. In 1933, two more narrow windows were opened on the street side. The large room in the apartment was divided into two, a shop radio department and an office. The small chamber also became an office and the kitchen became a radio workroom. In 1934, a water main was brought to the property, as well as to the adjacent lot. A toilet was added to the workshop building and a sink to the office in the shop building. In 1938, central heating was installed in the building. The boiler was installed in the building on the east side of the yard, in the study there. The building also contained a storeroom, toilet and washroom. The shop part of the street-side building was enlarged by demolishing the wall between the corner room and the radio department. One office room was connected to the shop and the old office room was converted into an office. The fireplaces in both buildings were demolished.

In 1968, the entire street-side building was converted into a single shop and large display windows were installed along the entire length of Kuninkaankatu. At the same time, attic space was introduced.

In 1980, a major renovation and alterations were carried out. The outbuilding on the eastern and northern boundaries of the site was replaced by a new part of the street-side building, which became a café. The plans were drawn up by Markus Bernoulli.

Current situation

Commercial building
Short-cornered residential building, now a commercial building, built in the mid-19th century, with horizontal timbering, hipped roof, large windows from 1968, extension to the courtyard from the 1980s (Markus Bernoulli). The current layout is based on a 1909 design by Arvi Leikari.