The building historically consists of two houses – Suur-Karja 17 and 19, which have been joined at the beginning of the 20th century. This piece of land, as well as the buildings on it, has always played an important role in the lives of the citizens and the country.
The 14th century – Karjavärav and Karjaveski (The Cattle Gate and Cattle Mill)
The first records of this site originate from the year 1363 when it used to be the location of one of the oldest gates of the town of Tallinn – the Karjavärav (the Cattle Gate) or “forta pecorum verpote”. The gate was used for herding the citizens’ livestock to the grasslands on the other side of the city wall. In the 15th century, the Karjaveski (the Cattle Mill) was built next to the gate. A part of the mill was supported by the city wall and it remained intact upon the destruction of the gate.
In 1890, the collapsed mill was demolished. Part of the land was used for widening the street and another part for building a business and residential house.
20th century – a bank, the Ministry of Culture and the Prosecutor’s Office
The building gained its present appearance in 1927 when the house at Suur-Karja 19 was acquired by the Estonian Popular Bank and three additional storeys were constructed on top of the building in accordance with architectural plans by Georg Hellat. During the same year, a narrow two-storey house at Suur-Karja 17 was also reconstructed into a four-storey building.
In 1937, the buildings were joined and their facades became one. The substructures of the two buildings however, are still located on two opposite sides of the city wall, thus constituting a historic paradox. A section of the medieval city wall can still be seen in the basement of the Savoy Bar.
What is interesting about this city block is the fact that in the 1930s, the entire neighbourhood surrounding the Karjavärav constituted a financial centre – an Estonian version of Wall Street (it was the location of five banks).
During the Soviet era, the building had several important functions – for years, it used to be the location of the Ministry of Culture and several shops.
In 1997, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Estonia was moved here.
The building of the Savoy Boutique Hotel was renovated in 2006 in accordance with the art déco style. art déco (< les arts décoratifs 'decorative arts’ in French), marks a style that prevailed in Europe and in the USA during the 1920s and 1930s mostly in the fields of interior design, poster and book art, painting, architecture, sculpture and photography.
It is characterised by decorativeness, use of geometric shapes, luxurious materials and different elements of modern art, where several shapes and motifs have been taken from ancient styles of Egyptian and Aztec art.
The architecture is not so much embodied in the building as in the style of its décor.
Hints of art déco in Estonian art can be found in pieces by J. Greenberg, Adamson-Eric and E. Wiiralt.
We hope you enjoy many historic moments and plenty of rest here at the Savoy Boutique Hotel!
See panorama picture of Savoy Boutique Hotel.
