Estonia Concert Hall and National Opera Theatre
Estonia pst 4, Tallinn
Designed by Finnish architects Armas Lindgren and Wivi Lönn in 1913, the Art Nouveau building of the Estonian Theater Estonia was the largest in Tallinn at that time. A theater and a concert hall were planned on one side of the double-winged building. This is still the case today. Initially, there was a lower middle section with a restaurant (White Hall) between the powerful halls, but in front of it was a courtyard with a pillar, which exemplified the architecture of the house. In the evening of March 9, 1944, in the total bomb attack of Soviet pilots on Tallinn, the building of Estonia was also destroyed. The Theater and Concert Hall was renovated in the second half of the 1940s by the designs of architects Alar Kotli and Edgar Johan Kuusik. Kotli’s project was inspired by neo-classicism of the 1930s or Stalinist classicism that met the requirements of the era. The architect tried to preserve the look of the facade on the side of Estonia Avenue, while the rest of the facades changed radically. The interior also changed, losing its fine Art Nouveau features and becoming more classicist.
Today the building is owned by the Estonia Theater and currently houses three independent institutions – one in the wing of the Estonian National Opera and the other in the Concert of Estonia and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.
1995 The Estonian Concert and the Estonian National Opera each wanted to start renovating their wing of the Estonia House. It had to start with addressing the general construction issues of the building and renovating the auxiliary facilities. In the summer of 1997, Eesti Kontsert undertook renovation of the concert hall and lobby. Both the Eesti Kontsert and the Estonian National Opera needed a general development vision, initial design tasks, expert opinions, etc. to carry out their work. As a continuation of his natural work, Eesti Kontsert also commissioned a construction and interior design project and a construction management service on the concert hall side. At the request of the client, it was necessary to be able to easily remove the chairs from the concert hall and make it a spacious dance hall. This goal is feasible because the idea of packing chairs under the stage came up during the work. The listed works were performed by Laansoo Grupp AS.
Today the Estonia Concert Hall is undoubtedly the representative hall of the Republic of Estonia, where the most festive representation events of the Republic of Estonia are held, including the President’s reception, and the grand new year celebrations. As a concert venue, the use of the nearly 500 m² Estonia Concert Hall is limited only by the organizer’s fantasy. The seat transfer system of the Estonia Concert Hall allows you to transform the academic concert atmosphere into an intimate chamber hall, a venue for a fashion show or pop concert, a ballroom or a science conference room. Concert halls include concerts, concert receptions, banquets, fashion shows, song contests, anniversaries, graduation ceremonies, seminars, exhibitions and charity events.
