Kallio Library

The Kallio Library is a granite building topped by a steep, copper-clad roof that rises high above the surrounding neighborhood of apartment blocks. Architect Karl Hård af Segerstad designed this structure in nineteen twelve specifically to serve the working-class families of the area. During the chaos of the Finnish Civil War in nineteen eighteen, the library took a direct hit from a shell, shattering the central reading room. Patrons still point out the bullet holes that remain in the heavy iron doors today.