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Alajärvi Youth Association Building
Sairaalatie 9, Alajärvi
1919
The Alajärvi Youth Association Buiding was designed by Alvar Aalto in 1919. It was immediately constructed and still existing today. It is a clubhouse built of logs, clad with vertical weatherboarding and coverd by a hipped roof, giving the building something of the air of a castle. The high roof was motivated by the central assembly hall, which shows a construction with herring-bone strutting. This layout provided sufficient height for a theatre stage along one wall and an orchestra balcony, located above a side room. The building is crowned by a lantern in noble 'Caroline' style. The two symmetrical wings originally flanked a cour d'honneur. Later the two wings were linked with a verandah-like entrance hall, which has a bad impact onto the monumental effect and breaks the roof slope in an unfortunate way. The building was damaged by fire in the 1970s but has been restored.