Ebeneser House Facade Restoration

The Ebeneser House, designed in 1906 by architect Wivi Lönn, is a yellow Art Nouveau landmark in the Alppiharju district. The building has stood in place for nearly 120 years, witnessing changes and developments in its surroundings and society. Except for localized repairs, the building’s facade plaster with its reliefs remains original. Now it is time to honor this significant building and restore its facade. We need your help to make it happen.

At the Ebeneser Foundation, we have launched a public fundraising campaign to restore the facade of the Ebeneser House. The campaign is called Eben nuttu kuntoon (the building’s nickname is “Ebe,” and the Finnish word "nuttu" refers to a coat or a baby’s sweater – hence the playful campaign name Ebe’s Sweater in Order). The funds raised will be used to finance the facade renovation. The work includes renewing and painting the building’s exterior plaster, as well as replacing balconies and windows. The facade’s decorative elements will be carefully restored using existing materials, such as the original well-preserved slate stones.

The Ebeneser House is a culturally and historically significant structure in Finnish early childhood education. It served as a model and source of inspiration for other kindergartens in Finnish society long before the official legislation on early childhood education was established. The facade reliefs and the front garden reflect its original purpose as a public folk kindergarten. Architecturally, the building represents a simple, unadorned form of Art Nouveau. The Ebeneser House’s street-facing facade is protected under the city’s zoning plan.

Hanna Rothman (1856–1920), the founder of Finnish early childhood education, once launched a fundraising campaign to build the Ebeneser House for the children of Sörnäinen, gaining the support of numerous donors for the construction. Now it is time to restore the building’s facade and launch a related fundraising campaign.

Regional Counselor and art patron Kauko Sorjonen acts as honorary guardian of the Ebeneser House facade restoration project. Sorjonen is particularly known as an advocate for historic and prestigious buildings. Among other projects, he has restored architect Wivi Lönn’s former home in Jyväskylä to its original condition.

Tax Deduction for Corporate Donations

The Ebeneser Foundation is one of the foundations designated by the Finnish Tax Administration for the years 2025–2029, making it eligible for possible tax deductions on cash donations from companies and organizations. A donating organization can deduct from its taxable income a cash donation of at least €850 and up to €50,000 made to the Ebeneser Foundation during 2025–2029.

Foundations eligible for designation are those within the European Economic Area whose primary purpose is to support science or the arts, or to preserve Finnish cultural heritage (Designated donation recipients by the Finnish Tax Administration – vero.fi). More information on tax deductions is available on the Finnish Tax Administration’s website.

More information
Taina Sillanpää
Executive Director of the Ebeneser Foundation and Director of the Kindergarten Museum
taina.sillanpaa(at)ebeneser.fi
tel. 050 307 0705