Summer is over and Säynätsalo Town Hall gets quiet. Summer Camp Cafe is closed and only some well organized visitor groups end up to visit the building.

I was surprized how many visitors wondered around the building during the summer. Many of them were architects or students exploring Aalto’s architecture.

My own AirBnb trial run was a success as far as I see it. I hosted interesting guests and I got some good feedback. Guests wanted to visit Aalto’s buildings and I was able to help the with bookings and arrangements. Nobody was complaining that they had to share the apartment with me. Some of the guests were more self organized and didn’t want or need me to interfere their visit and schedules. Of course that was fine with me. But when guest asked me to join to explore buildings and e.g. walk around Jyväskylä’s center, I enjoyed the companion and new things that I learned from these professionals.

Richard, the very last guest for this summer, was especially enthusiast to Aalto’s work. He had done “many, many” years ago his studying project about Town Hall, and was now able first time to visit the building. He wanted to stay two nights and was all the time finding more new aspects and angles to Aalto’s work. He wrote after the visit that he “felt just a little more like a local” while staying in the apartment inside the Town Hall. That left me the feeling that I have done something right 🙂

I will post in near future about plans to keep Town Hall alive and open atleast the three last months of this year!