Personal loan in the middle of the depression

The year 1929 saw the foundation of a municipal association, which sped up the decision making process. The following people were elected to the sanatorium’s provisional governing body, which turned out to be a long-term composition: mr. Antti Tulenheimo, mason mr. Juha A. Hahto, mr. Eino Kilpi from Tampere, painter mr. Viljo Aalto from Messukylä, banker mr. Väinö Airola from Toijala, doctor Carl Sandbäck from Pälkäne; the deputy members were physician ms. Suoma af Hällström from Lempäälä, painter mr. Eemeli Törmä from Orivesi and mason mr. V. Lunden from Kangasala.

In December 1929 the Central Häme Sanatorium Committee accepted the bid offered by the construction company Tähtinen & Sola from Tampere among 22 tenders.  The price was 14,3 million marks. At the same time the country suffered from depression, which weakened the municipalities’ cash position. It was not until 1932 when the sanatorium started receiving state subsidy, in other words a year after the hospital was brought into use. This is the reason why the six members of the Sanatorium Committee signed their names on a promissory note and personally took a six-million-mark loan from the bank in order to ensure the completion of the sanatorium. Later the committee had to take yet another loan – at the end of construction the loan totaled 14 million marks.

The Pikonlinna construction project provided considerable employment in Kangasala; there were more than 80 workers toiling at the construction site of the sanatorium – during the time when the unemployment rate due to the depression was at its worst.