The renovations for the Finlandia Club and Hoito Restaurant continued with the lowering of the decade old cupola.
The renovations for the Finlandia Club started two years ago in order to fix issues with the exterior and interior of the building. The Cupola has sat at the top of the tower for the past century, but was removed for repairs Wednesday morning.
Project Manager Pasi Pinta said the plan was to renovate the exterior to its former beauty.
“The last big renovation was in the early 60s,” Pinta said. “Ever since then there has been a few fix ups along the way. The building is definitely due. The building is over 100 years old and whenever you dig in and tear into an old building sometimes you don’t know what you are going to find.”
Interior plans for the renovations included adding a bistro on the first floor of the Finlandia Club. Mechanical repairs will also be included in the $2.2 million dollar budget for upgraded air conditioning and heating systems.
Once the cupola is restored, Pinta said it will resemble its original design and the piece will be placed back on top of the building.
“Hopefully the cupola will serve and beautify our city for another hundred years,” he said.
Plans on the exterior of the building are expected to take about one month and Pinta added they hoped to have the renovations completed by 2012.
