Artborg 35

At Artborg you can study music and the visual arts as well as enjoy art exhibitions. You can also rent a workspace or borrow a work of art from the art lending library. Currently Artborg is a true house of culture: the upper floor is dedicated to a music school and an art school, and the ground floor is made up of workspaces for artists, the art lending library and Pesula (The Laundry), a new art space that opened in 2019.

Established in 1993, Sipoon Taiteilijat ry. Sibbo Konstnärer rf. is an association of visual artists based in Sipoo. The association rents facilities from the municipality of Sipoo on the ground floor of Artborg 35, for both association members and artisans. The venue also includes a graphic arts workshop, meeting rooms and storage space. There are 10 tenants on the premises.

The History of the Building

The laundry and the linen storage were initially located in the kitchen building (No. 34). This way, the staff could be used flexibly at different workstations and it was easier to find replacements for absent workers. Sometimes people even switched tasks. Both the laundry and kitchen maids lived in the kitchen attic.

The new laundry, building No. 35 designed by architect Gunnar Taucher, was completed in 1937. Even before that, the idea of a central hospital laundry had been proposed. It was not until May 1976 that the hospital's own laundry ceased to operate, as the work was transferred to the central laundry in Helsinki. At the same time, the duties of the sewing room and linen storage were reduced, as all textiles now belonged to the central laundry. During the remainder of the hospital period, the laundry building served as a central storeroom, and as a workshop for the painter and the carpenter.

During the Helsinki Olympics in the summer of 1952, the laundry at Nikkilä hospital took care of the washing sent by the Olympic games accommodation services. This was authorized by the Helsinki city council, and eight temporary workers were employed to carry out the task.