History|Uusimaa’s ely center justifies the decision as financially reasonable from the restaurant owner’s point of view.
Traditional the interior of the restaurant Meicu was protected. However, a large part of the valuable interior was left unprotected.
The interior of the restaurant and its solid interior must be preserved, decided Uusimaa’s Business, Transport and Environment Center (ely).
However, the protection does not apply to, for example, lighting fixtures, bar counters, stained glass windows or windows, the decision says.
Instead, on the second floor, the wall, floor and ceiling surfaces of the restaurant hall are protected, as well as the height variation of the roof of the central part of the restaurant hall, as well as the columns with surface materials, structures and surface treatments with color tones and gloss levels.
The protection of the interior of the classic restaurant located at the corner of Pihlajatie and Kuusitie had been proposed by the Finnish Museum Agency in December 2023.
Restaurant was originally opened in 1946, and its interior has remained almost the same for about 80 years.
The restaurant was previously known as HOK’s restaurant no. 11, Kuusihokki and Restaurant No. 11, and by the nicknames Risuhokki and Käpyhokki.
The discussion about the fate of Meicu’s restaurant apartment started when the restaurant’s current owners Eija Salonen and Leo-Jukka Salonen announced in autumn 2023 that they will auction the hall’s lamps. The valuable lamps are by a well-known Finnish designer SpongeBob Tynellin (1890–1973) handwriting.
Ely-keskus stopped the auction at the end of 2023 at the request of the Finnish Museum Agency, and banned Meicu’s interior from being endangered. The Finnish Museum Agency’s position was that the fixed interior of the restaurant with its lighting has cultural-historical significance in accordance with the Building Heritage Act.
Except Tynell’s lights The Museum Agency told the ely center that it considers the restaurant complex a rare relic, or holy relic, in the history of Helsinki and the whole of Finland.
According to the Finnish Museum Agency, the interior largely comes from the construction site of the hotel Vaakuna, which was stopped by the winter war.
Tynell’s lamps lack upholstery.
Visca birch panels, herringbone parquet and lighting by Paavo Tynell were brought from the center to Pihlajatie for the restaurant on the 10th floor of the hotel. The restaurant has been considered a kind of sister restaurant to Vaakuna, the Museum Agency stated in its statement.
A small cabinet was located above the entrance stairs of Kuusihoki, a restaurant called at that time.
Restaurant The protection of Meicu’s fixed interior therefore does not apply to lighting, stained glass or windows. The chief inspector who presented the case Henrik Wager The Uusimaa ely center reminds us that the agency must look at the matter from a wide range of perspectives, including from an economic point of view.
“We protected the interior, but not the lights. It [valaisimien suojelu] would have been financially unreasonable for the restaurant owner,” says Wager.
According to the restaurant company, the lamps are defective in terms of parts and safety. The owners estimate their repair costs at 30,000 euros. The restaurant company’s poor finances could not withstand such a bill.
Meicu’s interior was protected. The scope of protection does not cover the lamps, stained glass, windows or furniture in the picture. The picture is from 2019.
The restaurant can now remove the Tynells from the hall and replace them with “some other lamps suitable for the space”.
Museum Agency stated in his statement that he takes a position on the fate of Meicu only as an expert in the cultural environment, instead it is up to the ely center to take financial matters into account.
“The decision is a torso without the protection of lighting”, the Finnish Museum Agency commented on the decision in its final statement. At the same time, however, the agency stated that the reasonableness aspect of protection is understandable for lighting fixtures.
The restaurant space was for sale earlier this year. Juha Salonen says that the sale announcement has been withdrawn. The restaurateurs are waiting for information from the Helsinki Administrative Court about the legality of the Ely Center’s decision.
Ely Center’s decision has 30 days to appeal to the Helsinki Administrative Court. The court registry is informally informed orally that there has been no appeal against the decision.
The photo from 1971 shows how the furniture of the restaurant at Pihlajatie 34 has changed over time. Many movable current details are not protectable for that reason either.
Restaurateur Eija Salonen behind the bar counter at the back of the restaurant hall. The bar counter is not covered by the protection.
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