Cinema Centre – Tähti-Kino *virtual destination

In 1911, the architect August Krook designed a cinema and stage building to Länsiranta (then Parkgatan). It was commissioned by the businessman Erik Nordlin as an annex to his business building in the corner of Turuntie and Länsiranta. As a result of the architect Krook’s influences, such as his studies in Germany, the cinema centre was built in the style of continental Jugendstil. The triangular arc of the top of the facade with its eye-like windows, the shape of the window in the middle, and the checkered ornamentation at street-level created an impression of Jugendstil, different from Finnish Jugend style architecture. The facade, which had been one of the most expressive ones in the building history of Salo, was removed when the cinema was modernised in the 1930s. In 1936, the building was renovated and expanded according to changes planned by the architect Erik Bryggman, and transformed into Cinema Tähti-Kino, Functionalist in style. The facade of the theatre building became simple and streamlined, and only the row of windows at street level was left of the original facade. In addition, the lobby was decorated in the style of Functionalism. After 25 years, the Tähti-Kino cinema also disappeared from the street view when the building was demolished in the early 1960s.