Hvitträsk is the artists' home jointly designed by three architects, Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen: it comprised of their flats, as well as a joint architects' office. Gesellius, Lindgren and Saarinen studied at the Polytechnic Institute in Helsinki together and graduated in 1897 as architects. They founded an architects' office before they even graduated, and were successful in architectural competitions. The trio won the design competition for the Tallberg house in 1897. > NEXT

Biography   Herman Gesellius   born in Helsinki on 16 January   1874   founded an office with Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen.   1896   graduated from the Polytechnic Institute as an architect.   1897   married Mathilda Gylden after her marriage to Eliel Saarinen had just ended. He participated in the joint designs of the office, but also designed independently including two blocks of flats in Helsinki, Annankatu 10 and 11. His main work is the Vuorio business premises, Unioninkatu 30, Helsinki.   1904   died at Hvitträsk following a long illness on 23 March.   1916   Armas Lindgren   born in Hämeenlinna on 28 January.   1874   graduated from the Polytechnic Institute as an architect. Began his career with Gesellius and Saarinen.   1897   left to found his own office. Armas Lindgren's main work, when in the joint practice, was the completion of the design for the building to house the Finnish National Museum.   1905   collaborated with Wivi Lönn, an architect. They designed the Estonia theatre in Tallinn and the New Student House in Helsinki. Lindgren designed numerous dwelling houses and villas as well as a few churches, and made a significant contribution as a teacher at the Polytechnic Institute and the school of art and design, where he was the artistic director.   1910s   died in Copenhagen on 3 October.   1929   Eliel Saarinen   born in Rantasalmi on 20 August.   1873   after dreaming of being an artist when he was young, he ended up studying architecture, and graduated as an architect from the Polytechnic Institute in the same year as Gesellius and Lindgren. Saarinen's second wife was Herman Gesellius's sister Louise, (Loja), who was a textile artist. His multi-faceted career covered blocks of flats, business premises and villas as well as town halls in Lahti and Joensuu. He also drew up town planning projects for Helsinki, Tallinn, Budapest and Canberra.   1897   won second prize in the Chicago Tribune Tower competition, and moved to the United States. His interest in town-planning continued in the USA, where he drew up shorefront plans for Chicago and Detroit which remained unrealised. Taught in Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where he designed many buildings.   1923   died in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on 1 July.   1950