sv, Tölö sporthall , image = Töölön Kisahalli.jpg , caption = Töölö Sports Hall photographed from the tower of the Olympic Stadium (2004) , fullname = , former_names = Messuhalli , address = Paavo Nurmen kuja 1c , location = Taka-Töölö,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, coordinates = , broke_ground = , built = 1935 , opened = 1935 , renovated = , expanded = 1952 , closed = , owner = , operator = , cost = , architect =

Aarne Hytönen Aarne Jonatan Hytönen (10 October 1901, Turku - 29 April 1972) was a Finnish architect. He is best known for designing the Töölö Sports Hall and the Olympia Terminal in Helsinki together with Risto-Veikko Luukkonen, both of which are listed by ...

Risto-Veikko Luukkonen Risto-Veikko Luukkonen (25 June 1902, Mikkeli – 7 September 1972, Helsinki) was a Finnish architect. He is best known for designing the Töölö Sports Hall and the Olympia Terminal in Helsinki together with Aarne Hytönen, both of which are lis ...

, capacity = 2,000 (seated) , tenants =

Torpan Pojat Torpan Pojat, shortened to ToPo, is a basketball club based in Helsinki, Finland. Torpan Pojat has their men's and women's team playing in national 1st division and many minor and junior teams in different age categories. History The club was ...

Helsinki Seagulls , website = Töölö Sports Hall ( fi, Töölön kisahalli, sv, Tölö sporthall) is a sports venue located in the

Töölö Töölö (; sv, Tölö, formerly spelled ''Thölö'') is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö ( sv, Främre Tölö, lit=Front Töölö, links=no) and Taka-Töölö ( sv, Bortre Tölö, lit=Rear Töölö, links=no) in Helsink ...

district of

. It was designed by

and

and built in 1935 as Messuhalli (Exhibition Hall). It is located near the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

, the

Opera House An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

, and the

Sonera Stadium The Bolt Arena (named Telia 5G -areena until January 2020, named Sonera Stadium until April 2017, and Finnair Stadium until August 2010; also known as ''Töölön jalkapallostadion'', " Töölö football stadium") is a football stadium in Helsinki, ...

. The hall was originally a venue for concerts, banquets and sporting events, but is now used only for training and competition in various sports.

History

In preparation for the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

the building was expanded on the northern side. During the Olympics

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

and

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; promo ...

events as well as the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

finals were held at the venue. In June 1966 the hot pitch used to fix the hall's roof caught fire. The ensuing blaze almost destroyed the whole building but was eventually extinguished with the help of 175 firemen and the army, the latter of which kept the gathered crowds out of the way. In 1975 the hall was moved to Helsinki city ownership and got its current name. It is the home arena of the basketball team

and more recently the Helsinki Seagulls men's basketball team. The hall is listed by

Docomomo Docomomo International (sometimes written as DoCoMoMo or simply Docomomo) is a non-profit organization whose full title is: International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement. ...

as a significant example of modern architecture in Finland.

References

External links

Töölö Sports Hall – City of Helsinki Sports Department1952 Summer Olympics official report.
p. 51. {{DEFAULTSORT:Toolo Sports Hall Sports venues in Helsinki Indoor arenas in Finland Buildings and structures in Helsinki Modernist architecture in Finland Venues of the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic basketball venues Olympic boxing venues Olympic gymnastics venues Olympic weightlifting venues Olympic wrestling venues Töölö

History

See also

References

External links