One of Alvar Aalto’s iconic works, the Church of the Three Crosses in Imatra, Finland, is in danger of being lost forever. Originally built in 1958, the modernist architecture church is a well-known work in Aalto’s canon, despite being set in the small town located at the southeastern part of the country. Although on the shortlist to become a Unesco World Heritage site, the church has suffered major water damage, and the consequences of years’ worth of deferred repairs and maintenance, decaying in front of local residents’ eyes.
Famed for its unique structure, which consists of three consecutive halls designed to suit a multitude of gatherings and social activities, the church includes a marble-adorned interior and site-specific furniture from the architect’s original design. It continues to attract visitors and design pilgrims, despite not being in use since 2020. While donations, including a sum of €400,000, have been received from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the repairs needed to save it are estimated to be between €3 and €4 million.
The Church of the Three Crosses
Church of The Three Crosses by Alvar Aalto
For Tiina Laakkonen, the Amagansett-based tastemaker behind Tiina the Store, who grew up in Imatra, witnessing the demise of Aalto’s masterpiece was not an option. So, Laakkonen has set up a fundraiser with a goal of €100,000 to help aid restoration efforts.
‘I always felt that great design and architecture was everywhere in Finland and part of people’s homes and everyday life. It didn’t feel like design was a kind of luxury that only the wealthy could afford but that was part of life,’ she says. ‘Aalto’s work is the perfect example of this. His work is still very much present in his public buildings, like libraries, universities and churches. The Church of the Three Crosses is considered to be Aalto’s greatest church and it’s wonderful that it happens to be in Imatra. As locals, we are proud to have such an important architectural work by Aalto in our hometown.’
The church’s interior
She continues, ‘The church congregation in Imatra has taken a €2.5 million bank loan. I feel that the government is the main funding method behind arts and culture in Finland. Somehow, this falls outside of that scope. The local organisers in Imatra are not used to this type of fundraising and I feel like they need help. It’s my way of giving back to my hometown.’
One of the church’s most pressing issues is to have its exquisite roof and structure repaired. ‘The roof lacks the correct ventilation and leads to water seeping in when the snow melts in the spring,' says Laakkonen, who has been working closely with the main fundraising team in Finland. ‘Some of the problems are related to Aalto’s exquisite design, others to the maintenance. I believe that the church is a national treasure that needs to be preserved.’
Save the Church of the Three Crosses
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