Hotel Torni
| Sokos Hotel Torni | |
|---|---|
Hotel Torni, seen from its northern side in 2023 | |
Interactive map of Sokos Hotel Torni | |
| Hotel chain | Sokos Hotels |
| General information | |
| Location | Kamppi, Helsinki, Finland, Yrjönkatu 26 FI-00100 Helsinki |
| Coordinates | 60°10′04″N 24°56′18″E / 60.16778°N 24.93833°E |
| Opening | 1931 |
| Height | 69.5 m (228 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 14 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Jung & Jung |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 152 |
| Number of suites | 14 |
| Number of restaurants | 4 |
| Website | |
| sokoshotels.fi | |
Hotel Torni (lit. 'Hotel Tower', officially Solo Sokos Hotel Torni) is a historical hotel located in Kamppi, Helsinki, Finland, and a part of the Sokos Hotels chain. When opened in 1931, it became the tallest building in Finland, a position it maintained until the completion of the new Neste headquarters in neighboring Espoo in 1976. It remained the tallest building in Helsinki until it was overtaken by Itäkeskuksen maamerkki in 1987. The interior of the building was completely renovated in 2005. It is located in central Helsinki, in the so-called Helsinki Design District.[1]
History
The hotel was designed by Finnish architects Bertel Jung & Valter Jung in 1928, and has 14 stories.[1]
The construction of the tower was connected with the skyscraper projects planned in Helsinki during the 1920s. The building was completed in March 1931, even before an official permit had been granted. Upon its completion, it stood as the tallest building in Helsinki and was considered, for its time, a skyscraper. It remains to this day one of the highest hotels in Finland.[2]
At its inauguration, Torni heralded a new era. In terms of style, it combined elements of Art Deco and Functionalism. The hotel offered one hundred guest rooms, together with several restaurants and private dining rooms.[1]
During the early years of Torni, Helsinki was subject to Prohibition. Nevertheless, there was no shortage of patrons seeking alcohol, and numerous speakeasies operated throughout the city. The restaurants within Torni itself displayed notable ingenuity: alcoholic beverages were discreetly sold to regular customers on the eleventh floor of the hotel. The lift was equipped with a hidden alarm button for use in the event of inspections by authorities.[1]
After the repeal of Prohibition, the late 1930s marked a prosperous period. During this time, patrons enjoyed dishes made from superior raw ingredients—far more refined than those available in many subsequent decades. The menu featured delicacies such as sweetbread, foie gras, eel, caviar, lobster, black grouse, and grey partridge. Marshal Mannerheim visited Torni to indulge in suckling pig prepared in the Russian style, though the Hotel Kämp remained his preferred haunt.[1]
The spirit of modernity was also captured by the extraordinary scheme devised in 1930, when, during the hotel's construction, an access structure was erected on the roof. This was intended to allow docking for the airship Graf Zeppelin, which visited Helsinki on 24 September 1930. The idea was that the airship might alight upon the roof of Torni, whereupon its passengers could descend by ladder and proceed to the bar for a cocktail. The mooring was never realised, yet the passage built for this purpose remains visible in the ceiling of the Ateljee Bar, which now occupies the rooftop space.[3]
It is allegedly the place where the murder of the Mata Hari-like Minna Craucher was planned in 1932.
During the Winter War, the hotel became the base of numerous foreign correspondents. The hotel served the needs of air defense during the Second World War, when members of the Finnish women's paramilitary organization Lotta Svärd used it as a watchtower to spot Soviet bombers. Immediately after the cessation of the war, Hotelli Torni served as the headquarters of the Allied Control Commission monitoring Finnish compliance with the obligations of the Moscow Armistice. It became known as a center of culinary excellence.[4]
In 1948, the hotel was returned from the Control Commission to the newly established company Liikemieshotellit Oy. Under the direction of the businessman Jorma Soiro, a splendid new era began for Torni. Soiro was an ingenious hotel manager who introduced the concept of "always something new at Torni."[1]
In the 1950s, Torni's cabinet rooms became a favoured meeting place for entertainers and public figures of the era. Among the personalities frequently seen there were the quizmaster Tauno Rautiainen, the film director Aarne Tarkas, journalists Jaakko Jahnukainen and Matti Jämsä, as well as the celebrated singer Olavi Virta.[5][6]
Artists frequented the cabinet rooms and restaurants of Torni, leaving behind a wealth of visual art and fragments of world literature. The tradition of collecting art has continued at Torni to this very day. Each year, new works are acquired from the changing exhibitions at the Ateljee Bar. Unique artworks can be found throughout the building.[1]
From 1950 to 1970, Torni was a gastronomic trendsetter throughout Finland. In 1953, Finland's first Chinese restaurant opened in Torni, allowing Helsinki residents to indulge in delicacies such as bird's nest soup and spring rolls.[1]
Lee Harvey Oswald, alleged assassin of John F. Kennedy, stayed in the hotel from 10 to 11 October 1959, while on his way to defect to the USSR.[7]
Actor Roger Moore stayed at the hotel during his visit to Finland in his capacity as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1993.[8]
Numerous distinguished guests have enjoyed the bohemian, international atmosphere of Hotel Torni, ranging from royalty and film stars to writers and visual artists.[1]
The Order of the Knights of Torni in Helsinki
The Order of the Knights of Torni in Helsinki was founded in 1949. From the very beginning, the Knights of Torni were a brotherhood with a distinctly European orientation, drawing inspiration from the continent's traditional food and wine confraternities. Hotel Torni played a pioneering role in introducing many gastronomic trends to Finland. Gastronomy and the pleasures of the table were regarded as fostering especially strong bonds among members, which indeed proved true. The Knights of Torni gather annually on 19 September.[9]
Restaurants
In Hotel Torni, there are several restaurants including Ravintola Torni (dining), Ateljee Bar (top of the tower with view over downtown Helsinki, known especially for the toilets which have scenic glass walls to the outside), American Bar (American style bar), and O'Malley's (Irish bar). The Ateljee Bar provides a monthly changing art exhibition featuring Finnish artists.[1]
The American Bar was established in 1960 within a domed hall. The bar immediately became a favourite meeting place for city residents, where patrons enjoyed trendy cocktails.[1]
O'Malley's, the favourite haunt of Irish residents in Finland and Ireland enthusiasts, opened in the 1980s. Its speciality was Irish music and dark stout served by the pint.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Solo Sokos Hotel Torni Helsinki historia - sokoshotels.fi". Sokos Hotels (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ Manninen, Antti (4 April 2011). "Helsinki taisteli pilvenpiirtäjistä". Helsingin Sanomat: A8–12.
- ^ Kovanen, Vesa (2018-09-24). "Jättimäisen Zeppelinin vierailu sekoitti Helsingin tasan 88 vuotta sitten – visiitistä jäi hotelli Torniin pysyvä jälki". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ Gronow, Kira: Nootti Tornista kyyryssä juokseville. Helsingin Sanomat 9 October 2011, p. A 12.
- ^ "Mikä teki Olavi Virrasta legendan? - Seura.fi". Seura.fi (in Finnish). 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- ^ Peter von Bagh, Markku Koski ja Pekka Aarnio: Olavi Virta, legenda jo eläessään (5. painos), s. 128–129. Porvoo-Helsinki: WSOY, 2010.
- ^ CIA Cable, Dated 29 November 1963, p.2.[1]
- ^ "Järjestöt | Unicef-lähettiläs Roger Moore käy Suomessa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 1993-10-08. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ "Helsingin Tornin Ritarit". HOK-Elanto (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-09-20.