This year, the City of Tallinn has supported the restoration of privately-owned heritage buildings and architecturally valuable structures with nearly €500,000. Next year’s budget plans to increase this amount by an additional €250,000.
In 2024, applications were submitted for 99 projects totaling over €1.7 million. Funding was granted to 10 properties in the Old Town, 10 heritage buildings, and 22 architecturally significant properties outside the Old Town—a total of 42 valuable renovation projects.
According to Deputy Mayor Madle Lippus, interest in these grants has grown annually, leading to plans to raise next year’s total support to €750,000. “The city’s grants provide additional motivation for owners to restore cultural heritage responsibly, which is often significantly more expensive than regular construction. Our experience shows that well-preserved facades or historical details often inspire neighboring properties to follow suit,” Lippus said.
Carolin Pihlap, Head of the Conservation Department at Tallinn’s Urban Planning Department, highlighted a growing trend among applicants to reverse prior changes made in heritage zones. “Many sought support for replacing plastic windows or metal doors with wooden ones based on original designs. This year, we organized multiple information sessions before the application and reporting deadlines to answer questions and held a satisfaction survey to gather feedback for service improvements. These practices will continue next year,” Pihlap added.
Support was provided for the restoration of roofs, facades, windows, doors, and other efforts to preserve the city’s historical architectural heritage. The maximum grant per project this year was €35,000.
For example, €35,000 was allocated for the restoration of the facade and windows of the building at Küti 15. This is a striking landmark property located at the entrance to the Kalamaja district from Kalaranna Street. The roof replacement of the building at Soo 20 was supported with €30,000.
The repair of the door at Härjapea 54 in Pelgulinn was supported with €690. The restoration of the main entrance of the apartment building at Salme 47 in Kalamaja received €2,730.
For the roof restoration of the building at Kopli 38/2, €7,234 was allocated. This support covered partial cleaning of the roof (removal of rust, dirt, and loose paint), waterproofing of penetrations, seams, and joint connections, priming, and painting work. Additionally, rainwater pipes and window sills were cleaned and painted.
Several applications for restoring historical fences were deemed worthy of support. For example, the fence at Kotzebue 2 in Kalamaja was restored. For the fence restoration of the apartment building at Sikupilli 8, located in the heritage area of Majaka Street, €6,000 was allocated. Last year, the city also supported the restoration of this building’s facade.
In the draft budget for 2025, €750,000 is planned for restoration grants. The maximum grant covers up to 75% of restoration costs, capped at €35,000 per project. Applications are expected to open in late January via the city’s project and grant management system. More details can be found on the restoration grant webpage.
Source: tallinn.ee