Jyväskylä plans to sell historical Karpion House villa for €780,000

The city of Jyväskylä plans to sell a historical villa located in the Älylä district, which was built in the early 1900s. Known as Karpion House, the villa is situated on Kramsunkatu and the sale announcement was published on OP Kodin’s website on Friday. The asking price for the villa, which was constructed in 1905 and sits on a plot of nearly 4,700 square meters, is set at €780,000.

Tuomas Kuronen, the city’s property director, explained that there has been no use for the vacant villa, which incurs ongoing maintenance costs throughout the year. The villa served as the official residence for Jyväskylä’s mayors since the 1980s, but the current mayor, Timo Koivisto, has chosen to end this tradition. The city acquired the property in 1983, after the Spets-Karpion family lived there.

Three renowned Finnish architects were involved in the design of the villa. Lars Sonck originally designed the structure for private use, while Wiwi Lönn added a corner tower in the 1920s, and Alvar Aalto later made an extension to the house.

With a living area of 300 square meters, Krista Virenius-Rantalaiho, a real estate agent from OP, describes the property as unique. She believes it could serve as a residence or suitable business establishment. The city is open to offers and ideas from potential new owners, expressing hope for business uses but stating it is not a requirement.

Currently, the villa’s lower-level representative spaces are vacant following the closure of the café Teeleidi in spring 2023. However, the upper floor and another building on the plot, Villa Karpio, are rented to long-term tenants. The sale period will conclude after November. Kuronen noted that if no suitable offers are received, discussions about the villa’s future have not yet begun, emphasizing that demolition is not an option, as it is a protected historic structure.