22.09.2025
In the heart of Tallinn, at the newly completed Arter quarter, the Estonian Museum of Architecture has opened the exhibition “Olemata Liivalaia” (“The Unbuilt Liivalaia”). The display presents architectural visions and projects designed for Liivalaia 36 over the past forty years. Open Monday to Friday, 8:00–19:00, the exhibition is free for all visitors.
“The plot opposite the Olympia Hotel stood empty for decades and has now been brought to life with the Arter quarter. But this exhibition invites us to reflect on what Tallinn’s city center might have looked like if some earlier ideas had been realized. Every architectural project is a mirror of its time – it shows what society dreamed of and what values it considered important,” said Grete Tiigiste, curator at the Estonian Museum of Architecture.
The exhibition features projects from the late 1980s onwards, including entries from Hansapank’s 1990s architectural competition. At the time, the new headquarters of Hansapank was planned exactly for this plot – today home to Arter quarter, whose anchor tenant is Swedbank, the bank that later acquired Hansapank. Visitors can also see visions of high-rises and business centers that reflected Estonia’s ambitions in the early years after regaining independence.
The central message of the exhibition is the long-term nature of urban development and planning – the creation of major buildings can take decades. Visitors have a unique opportunity to compare past ideas with today’s cityscape and to ask what kind of capital city we wish to see in the future. “The city is constantly evolving, but we tend to forget earlier visions. The exhibition gives us a chance to rediscover them and consider how they might have shaped the heart of Tallinn,” added Tiigiste.
“Presenting art and architecture in a business district opens up urban space in a new way and makes it accessible to everyone. Our goal has been to create a city center environment that also offers people experiences and inspiration. ‘Olemata Liivalaia’ is already the third exhibition in our quarter, and it is fascinating to see the ideas once tied to this very site now, when the Arter quarter has finally been completed,” said Allan Remmelkoor, Project Director of Arter quarter.
The exhibition was created by the Estonian Museum of Architecture in cooperation with Arter quarter. The curator is Grete Tiigiste, and the exhibition design is by Koit Randmäe.
The artistic display is located in the spacious and welcoming atrium of the Arter quarter at Liivalaia 36, Tallinn. The exhibition is open Monday to Friday from 8:00–19:00 and is free of charge for all visitors. In addition, the quarter also offers two restaurants, a bookstore, and a flower salon.
