Developer US Real Estate has been issued the building permit for planned development of the historic Patarei Sea Fortress building complex located on the seacoast in Põhja-Tallinn. Construction will begin next year, with extensive renovations and mixed-use development of the 19th century fortress slated to be completed by 2026.

The building permit was issued by the Tallinn City Planning Department, concluding a process involving a total of 16 departments, according to a press release. More than 100 people worked on the design of the complex, which is protected under heritage conservation. 33 design companies were involved, in addition to various research and consulting firms.

According to US Real Estate construction director Tarmo Pohlak, a comparable amount of work has never been planned and a permit for such construction never issued for a heritage conservation site in Estonia.

"More research than usual was required before planning, and as a result, there was more communication with various parties, negotiations and compromises," Pohlak said, thanking everyone involved in the planning and permitting process.

"Renovation of Patarei Sea Fortress is an important investment in preserving our historical heritage and opening the city to the sea," said Oliver Alver, deputy director of Tallinn City Planning Department. He noted that the city government hopes the current economic situation won't interfere with planned renovations and that construction can begin as soon as possible.

"Once the Patarei Sea Fortress territory is fixed up, a significant part of the Tallinn seafront will become more beautiful again," Alver added.

The sea fortress' conceptual design was completed this March, after which the developer began the process of obtaining a building permit for it. Its main project, which was being drawn up in parallel with the conceptual design, was completed in July, following which a construction tender was announced in August.

Once complete, the overhauled complex will include more than 32,000 square meters of rental space, including offices, restaurants, cafes, an event center, a supermarket, bakery, flower shop, pet store, brewery, youth center, art gallery and a museum.

The inner courtyard will be enclosed with a roof allowing natural light to pass through. A 310-meter seafront promenade will also be built along the sea side of the complex, connecting Kalaranna Quarter to Noblessner.

"We're currently applying for a permit for the construction of new buildings at Vesilennuki 2," Pohlak said, noting that they hope to receive the permit before the year is out.

Work on Patarei Sea Fortress is scheduled to begin next year.

Nicholas I

In 1828, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia endorsed a defense plan of Tallinn in accordance with which a coastal defense battery was to be built at the spot where former coastal defense structures had stood during Swedish rule. Construction of Patarei's main building began in 1829 and was completed in 1840.

Patarei was used as a Russian army barracks beginning in 1867 and converted into a prison in 1919, a capacity in which it served under various governments and regimes until 2002.

In December 2019, Estonian state real estate management company Riigi Kinnisvara AS (RKAS) approved Nikolai Esimene OÜ, a subsidiary of businessman urmas Sõõrumaa's U.S. Invest, as buyer of Patarei Sea Fortress, the final sales price of which was confirmed at €4.6 million.

It was the only bid placed in a public auction for the complex, the starting bid of which had been set at €4.5 million.

Nikolai Esimene OÜ, the subsidiary company founded by Sõõrumaa's U.S. Invest in order to place a bid on the complex, is a reference to the Russian tsar.

The sea fortress complex is located at the addresses Kalaranna 28, 30 and 32 and Vesilennuki 2.

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