Torppa

During the troubled times of 1914-1920, this house was owned by the “Socialist Association Torppa”. Before the Civil War until the capture of the city in January 1918, Torppa was the Red Guards’ meeting place and gathering place (source Lasse Backlund).

Building history

The house in the picture, on the right after the plank, was built in 1801 according to the fire insurance policy. It is said that the house would have been demolished around the 1920s and the current house would have been built on the same site. The house is now taller and has a higher stone base than in the photograph, while the window division is the same.

At the bottom of the page we have a building plan for the fireplace alteration, and extension, of the then existing building. In the picture below we have marked how the old house is extended to the east, and the stone base is raised (not uncommon for the stone base to be rebuilt on a house). The pink colors suggest changes. It is less clear whether the house is also raised upwards, but it seems so. The house being rebuilt is certainly the house from 1801.

According to this, it seems clear that the old house was not demolished, but rebuilt into the house that stands here today. Or at least we can safely say that this was planned with this building plan, which was also approved. It is still conceivable that the plans were changed and the house was demolished anyway.