1.3.2026 | Beauty

Telliskivi’s Last Old Giant Is Renewed

Text Timo Raussi 
Photos Telliskivi TLN

In Tallinn’s Telliskivi district, the shops, restaurants, events, and museums of the Creative City have long been centred around the courtyards and buildings between the Loomelinnak building on the street side, and Fotografiska. One by one, the former locomotive and railway carriage depot buildings have been renovated, and completely new office blocks have been constructed, mostly along the edge facing the Balti Jaam Market.

In the middle of the area still stands a massive, somewhat shabby old factory hall, the so-called Telliskivi M-hoone. Its appearance and purpose are about to change drastically.

In recent years, exhibitions have been held in the dilapidated building’s central section, showcasing works by, for example, Banksy and Da Vinci, and currently, art made from LEGO bricks. When the LEGO exhibition closes on 29 March, the entire M-hoone will soon be surrounded by construction fencing and much of the structure will be demolished. What will remain is the historical wing closest to the Loomelinnak building and the F-hoone restaurant—a limestone structure that perhaps least resembles a Soviet-era colossus.

A New “Adults-Only” Spa?

A couple of weeks ago, Estonian and some Finnish media reported that a spa and sauna centre would be built in the renovated M1 wing. The roughly 2000 m² area is planned to include around ten different saunas, a pool area, relaxation zones, massage and wellness rooms, and a rooftop terrace.

In the press release preceding the media coverage, the developer—Telliskivi TLN—claimed that “the company itself will operate the spa.” At least some advice appears to have come from Heigo Vare, who headed the Vihula Manor Spa until last summer and later joined the management of the company operating the Tervise Paradiis water park hotel, and the Tervis Spa Hotel in Pärnu. His consulting firm registered the domain telliskivispa.ee the day after the press release was issued. According to the brief information found there, the project is intended to be an 18+ adults-only spa. Whether this is accurate or not, the developer expects Tallinn’s new sauna and relaxation centre to open in about two years.

A Rotermann-Style Urban Block

The rest of the largely demolished M-hoone will be rebuilt at the same time into a total of eight separate buildings. According to visualisations, the façades, intermediate structures, and interior surfaces will retain many details or newly created elements that draw inspiration from the old industrial complex, just as is often done in the renovation of historical factory buildings in Estonia. The M2–M8 buildings are planned to house tenants needing office, leisure, cultural, sports, or commercial spaces—and undoubtedly restaurants as well.

For the accessibility and comfort of the entire Telliskivi area, perhaps the most important change is that the massive factory hall will be replaced with an urban-block layout offering several new pedestrian routes through the quarter, and additional greenery between the buildings. Judging by the visualisations, the architectural solutions resemble those of Tallinn’s Rotermann and Krulli districts.