Rotermanni Salt Store

Architects

Ernst Boustedt
Ülo Peil

Location

Ahtri 2, Tallinn, Estonia

Size

2 890m2

Status

Completed in 1908 (1996)

Photo

Raido VInt

Typology

Historical, Public Projects

Tags

Habrour area, Refurbished, Public, Educational, Tallinn

The salt storage is part of the historic Rotermanni Quarter, an industrial complex that included a department store, food-processing plants, and wood treating workshops. The complex, which belonged to the Rotermann family over several generations, began as a trading business in the 1830s with factories soon to follow. After years of abandonment in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Rotermann Salt Storage, built in 1908, was opened as an exhibition venue in 1996 for contemporary art and architecture projects. Since 2005 it has housed the Museum of Estonian Architecture. The museum has concentrated on the research of 20th century Estonian architecture, which is presented at the permanent and temporary exhibitions. Since 2015, the installation by the winners of the urban installation competition of the Tallinn Architecture Biennale has been standing in front of the house. A new installation is put up for each biennial cycle.