Support group seeks to save Forssa workers’ hall from decay

The nearly 100-year-old Forssa Workers’ Hall is without electricity and heating as its bankruptcy estate seeks to sell the building for 30,000 euros, Yle reports. A local support group is urging the city to buy it and keep it in community use.

The Forssa Workers’ Hall Support Association is collecting signatures for a municipal initiative proposing that the building become a centre for cultural, youth and community activities. The association is concerned that the building could deteriorate over winter while a new owner is being sought.

For now, the association is arranging temporary winter storage to prevent the water pipes from freezing. Its chair, architect and renovation designer Minna Aarnio, said the company Polygon has agreed to install a dry-storage system, but described it as a temporary measure.

The city has declined to take ownership three times, according to Mayor Jari Kesäniemi. The Workers’ Association offered the building to the city for free a couple of years ago, but the city declined then as well.

The hall has served for decades as a centre for cultural activities in Forssa. It is protected under the city plan and forms part of the nationally significant built cultural environment of the Forssa industrial community. The building was inaugurated on March 2, 1930, and its interior has largely retained its original appearance.

More than 200 people attended an open day at the hall last weekend. Aarnio said the building was in good condition and could be used again after cleaning once electricity and heating were restored.