Riihikedon koulukorttelit

English translation (from the Finnish)

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Description

Pori's Riihikedo has an exceptionally large and varied school area. In the early decades of the 20th century, schools for both basic education and vocational training were built on land zoned for public buildings. They line the road and form whole street views.

The oldest school in the area is the monumental Cygnaeus kansakoulu, completed in 1912. In front of the school, Cygnaeus puisto is the terminal square of the Puistokatu park axis. At the other end is the Raatihuone and Raatihuoneenpuisto. Cygnaeus puisto contains the Äestäjä sculpture by sculptor Emil Cedercreutz, which was unveiled in 1920. Reliefs by Cedercreutz are also found inside the school. The dining hall building from 1957 that bordered the inner courtyard behind the school was replaced in 2010 by a new food service centre.

Karhulinna, on the edge of the Cygnaeus puisto square, is now the Steinerkoulu. The building was originally constructed for the suojeluskunta in 1928. Its interior has changed, but the classicist exterior architecture typical of suojeluskunta buildings has been preserved.

The schools from the 1930s are the Porin suomalaisen yhteislyseon koulu with its extensions, next to the Cygnaeus kansakoulu, and beside it the former Tyttöjen ammattikoulu. The distinguishing feature of the yhteislyseo is its rounded outer corner, where the main staircase of the school is located.

The extensive Poikien ammattikoulu, built in the 1950s next to the Tyttöjen ammattikoulu, consists of a four-storey central section and two-storey east and west wings. These are flanked at the north end and on the inner courtyard by single-storey sections. In addition, the former foundry and the building of the motor vehicle repair line are located in the inner courtyard, along Porilaistenkatu. The two-tone brick facades with slate-clad plinths, typical of 1950s school architecture, have largely been preserved. The largest changes date from the 1980s and 1990s.

History

The Cygnaeus kansakoulu was completed in 1912 outside the then town plan area of Pori. The design competition for the Cygnaeus school was won by architect Usko Nyström, and construction work began in 1910.

Architect Harald Andersin drew up the Pori general town plan of 1923, which anticipated the growth of the town. Part of the plan was realised in Pori IX district, where many public buildings were constructed to Andersin's plan, among them, above all, a large number of schools.

The Porin suojeluskuntatalo Karhulinna was inaugurated in 1928. The building was designed by architect Gunnar Wahlroos and master builder Hjalmar Siren. The Porin seudun Steinerkoulu moved into Karhulinna in 1999.

The school of Porin suomalainen yhteislyseo was completed in 1934 to designs by architect Elsa Arokallio. The school has since been extended.

The Teljä vocational school for girls (later Porin palveluopisto) was built in 1936-1938 to designs by architect Oiva Viljanen. The vocational school for boys (later Porin palveluopisto) was completed in 1952. In the 1980s and 1990s, extensive alterations were carried out in the central part and east wing of the building, which also affected its exterior. In 2005, alterations to the west wing also affected part of the facades.