Mart Port (4 January 1922 – 3 February 2012) was an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and pedagogue. He was the head of many statutory plans during the

Soviet era The history of the Soviet Union (USSR) (1922–91) began with the ideals of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the Russian Civil War, ...

, including

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...

Viljandi Viljandi (, , , , ) is a Populated places in Estonia, town and Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,255 in 2024. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major ...

and Tallinn's districts

Mustamäe Mustamäe (Estonian language, Estonian for 'black hill') is one of the 8 administrative districts () of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The smallest by area (it covers only 8.1 km2), it is at the same time the second largest district by po ...

Väike-Õismäe Väike-Õismäe (Estonian language, Estonian for ''"Lesser Õismäe, Blossom Hill"'') is a subdistrict () in the district of Haabersti, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 27,481 (). thus housing more than 60% of Haabersti's ...

and

Lasnamäe Lasnamäe is the most populous administrative district of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The district's population is about 119,000, the majority of which is Russian-speaking. Local housing is mostly represented by 5–16 stories high panel b ...

. He designed the Viru Hotel (1968–1972), the building of the Central Committee of the

Communist Party of Estonia The Communist Party of Estonia (, abbreviated EKP; in Russian: Коммунистическая партия Эстонии) was a regional branch of the CPSU, Soviet communist party (CPSU) which in 1920–1940 operated illegally in Estonia an ...

(now the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

; with

Raine Karp Raine Karp (born 23 July 1939) is an Estonian architect. Raine Karp was born in Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the ...

Uno Tölpus Uno Tölpus (14 August 1928 Kunda, Estonia, Kunda – 11 August 1964 Käsmu) was an Estonian architect. He was one of the most notable Estonian architects in 1950s.Eesti kunsti ja arhitektuuri biograafiline leksikon (EKABL). Tallinn: Eesti Entsükl ...

and Olga Kontšajeva, 1966–1968), the "Planners' House" (Rävala pst 8; with Peep Jänes and Arvo Niineväli, 1965–1981) and the World War II Memorial in

Maarjamäe Maarjamäe (Estonian language, Estonian for ''"Maria's Hill"'') is a subdistrict () in the district of Pirita, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It is bordered by Pirita (subdistrict), Pirita and Kose, Tallinn, Kose to the north, Lasnamäe to t ...

(with Allan Murdmaa, Peep Jänes,

Henno Sepmann Henno Sepmann (12 February 1925 Tartu – 24 September 1985 Moscow) was an Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west ...

and Rein Kersten, 1959–1960).

Biography

Mart Port was born in

, a son of botanist Jaan Port (1891–1950) and his wife Marta. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Mart was mobilized to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. In 1950 he finished his architecture studies at the

Tallinn Polytechnical Institute Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech; ) is the only technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administration and maritime affairs. TalT ...

. 1955–1979 he served as the chairman of the Union of Soviet Estonian Architects. Until 1990, Mart Port worked at the Soviet architectural bureau "

Eesti Projekt Eesti Projekt ('Estonian Project') was an Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Swe ...

", from 1961 to 1989 he served as its chief architect. He also worked as a docent at the State Art Institute of the ESSR from 1961 to 1992, and since 1977 as a professor. In 1972 he received the State Prize of the Estonian SSR, and in 1978 the title of People's Architect of the USSR. Mart Port's son is sports biologist Kristjan Port (born 1960). Mart Port died in

at the age of 90 on 3 February 2012 after a sudden illness.

Gallery

File:MaarjamaeWarMemorial.jpg, World War II momorial in

References

1922 births 2012 deaths People from Pärnu Estonian architects Soviet architects Tallinn University of Technology alumni 8th Estonian Rifle Corps personnel Honoured Workers of the Arts Industry of the Estonian SSR Recipients of the USSR State Prize Recipients of the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 4th Class {{estonia-bio-stub