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Lindgren, Armas (Eliel)
(b Hämeenlinna, 28 Nov 1874; d Copenhagen, 3 Oct 1929). Finnish architect. He graduated from the Helsinki Polytechnic in 1897 and subsequently spent his career both in the study of historical architecture and art and in original design work. Between 1896 and 1902 he accompanied the art historical study trips arranged by the Finnish Antiquarian Society as artist and photographer. He undertook other trips, too, for the Finnish Archaeological Bureau. In 1896 Lindgren formed a partnership with Eliel Saarinen and Herman Gesellius (see GESELLIUS, LINDGREN, SAARINEN). They designed a block of flats at Fabianinkatu 17 (1900–01) and three blocks of flats in the Katajanokka area of Helsinki: the Tallberg House (1897–8) at Luotsikatu 11, Satamakatu 7; the Olofsborg (1900–02) at Kauppiaankatu 7; and Eol (1901–3) at Luotsikatu. From the interiors to the lively design and ornamentation of the exteriors, the style of these buildings with their free-formed layouts combines motifs from Finnish and international history with elements from the new European tendencies. In the façade of the Pohjola Insurance Company building (1899–1901), influenced by H. H. Richardson’s work, figures from Finnish mythology, flora and fauna adorn the soapstone. Gesellius, Lindgren & Saarinen had first attracted international attention with the design for the Finnish Pavilion at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900. Hvitträsk, the studio-complex in which all three also lived with their families, bears evidence to the living ideals of the time, despite fire damage and restoration work. The grand country house (1901–3; destr.) of Suur-Merijoki in Viipuri province (now in Russia) similarly fulfilled the idea of a total harmony in living environment. In 1902 Lindgren was appointed artistic director of the Central School of Applied Arts and in 1905 he left the partnership. The only work of the firm with which he remained involved was the winning competition entry for the Finnish National Museum (completed in 1916). The competition for the museum, whose design was based on the modern pavilion principle, was to a large extent the result of Lindgren’s own enthusiasm.
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