My current darling in Jakobstad is waiting to be recreated. The stone building in the yard of the Carpelan wooden house stands there with doors open and windows broken: The plan is for it to be turned into housing for senior citizens, part of it being teared down sadly.

There will be a new building with 17 flats over two floors, incorporating part of the old stone building. At some point there were talks that the main wooden house would become a daycare centre for children. The idea were that elderly people and mini humans could co-exist, eat and spend time together. Beautiful thought. At this moment it looks like that will not happen since the initial collaborater, Åbo Akademi, might be relocated to Vasa. Naughty. 

Generally spoken I still think more old houses should be preserved and as much as possible of old culturally important buildings, and to those I also count less posh ones like small wooden sheds and outhouses of character, should be saved. Really happy about the restored wooden windows in the old red brick factory that now is part of the new Allegro Centre in Jakobstad. More preservation like that, and less plastic, clean perfection. Beautiful dirt and lived in surroundings are needed for an authentic feeling!

How gorgeous aren’t these doors? Try finding wooden ones like these nowadays. Unfortunately it looks from the plan that those will be replaced by new according to all-rules-metal-doors…I’ll have the old wooden ones please!

The plan for now. I like that outside space and I am sure that in the end Villa Hannus, named after this project’s primus motor Georg Hannus -who also masterminded the Senior Living Areas close by- might work well. Still sad about any little original wooden window and majestic door having to leave the building. Very sad actually.

Pretty little scruffy terracotta coloured door. 

One of my favorite Flee Markets are run by Senior Citizens and is just close by, in an red brick building next to another Senior Housing (help, the senior citizens are taking over!) another project by the former bank man Georg Hannus, build in an old factory. A red beautiful brick building that one as well.

Åldringsvännerna’s Flee Market. For opening hours here.