Historic Hatanpää Barn Reopens as Ruusupuisto Daycare

A restored 1890 brick barn in Hatanpää reopened in August as Ruusupuisto daycare and currently hosts 53 children. It will also serve as temporary premises for Koivistonkylä daycare until the school's new building opens in 2028.

The protected red-brick building was converted to hospital use in 1917 and later stood empty until the city approved a full renovation in late 2022. Work began in January 2025 and finished last summer. Project manager Timo Keisu said the budgeted €9.5 million was slightly undershot. The interior was rebuilt from floor to roof to include sleeping and play rooms, drying rooms, multi-purpose and sensory spaces, a children's atelier and a kitchen where children can cook and bake. A sports and dining hall has a separate entrance from the rose garden for evening community use.

Ruusupuisto can hold 140 children, but only one of its three home areas is in use for now; there are three groups and space still available. Terhi Söyrinki, head of Koivistonkylä’s early childhood unit, said families were offered the choice to move and some found Hatanpää distant because of traffic. She expects the facility will be heavily used as the neighbourhood develops. Five-year-old Taika Toro said the best things are the friends and being allowed to serve her own food. The daycare is holding an open house today, Thursday 1 October, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.

The reopening follows the city's recent rollout of new and renovated childcare facilities this term the city's other new and renovated childcare projects this term.