Kulttuuritalo

Kulttuuritalo (Kulttuuritalo, Kulturhuset) is a building in Alppila, Helsinki, Finland. The building was designed by Alvar Aalto, and is considered to be one of his main works.

The building
The building combines a concert hall, an office building and a lecture-theatre block connecting the two. Uniting the whole, along the street frontage, is a 60 m canopy.

History
Kulttuuritalo was originally built for Finnish Communist cultural organizations. Aalto designed the building pro bono and was given complete artistic freedom; the construction work was done largely by volunteers. Work began in 1955, and the building was opened in 1958.

The building was owned by the Communist Party by a nonprofit foundation until the 1990, when the bankruptcy of the Finnish Communist Party forced its sale.

Today its owned by the government owned Senate Properties. The building is protected by a decision made by the Finnish Council of State in 1989.

Notable artists who have played at the venue include:


 * Duke Ellington in 1961, 1963, and 1964
 * Ella Fitzgerald in 1963, 1964, and 1965
 * Jimi Hendrix in 1967
 * Cream in 1967
 * Led Zeppelin in 1970
 * Jethro Tull in 1970, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2022, and 2023
 * Status Quo in 1973, 1974, 1996, and 2017
 * Frank Zappa in 1974 (Three concerts in September 1974, portions of which were released on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 in 1988)
 * Queen in 1974
 * AC/DC in 1977
 * Ramones in 1977 and 1990
 * Tina Turner in 1982
 * Metallica in 1984
 * Hanoi Rocks in 1985
 * Leonard Cohen in 1985
 * Johnny Winter in 1987
 * Iron Maiden in 1995
 * Lady Gaga in 2009
 * Stratovarius in 2010
 * Helloween in 2010