Selim A. Lindqvist

He studied architecture at the Polytechnical Institute (today Helsinki University of Technology) under Gustaf Nyström and Frans Anatolius Sjöström between 1884 and 1888.

[1][2] In the 1890s, when building activity in Helsinki dropped due to an economic downturn, Lindqvist journeyed to Italy, Austria, Hungary and Germany, lived for a year in Nizhny Novgorod and worked for some time in Berlin.

In addition, he designed industrial buildings and had some commissions from outside Helsinki, e.g. the town hall of Mikkeli.

In his early career he followed Neo-Renaissance ideals, and towards the end of his life he turned to a more Neoclassical style, and also experimented with Functionalist forms.

The former office building for the city electricity company (1909) can be mentioned as an example of the many official commissions Lindqvist received.

The aforementioned city hall in Mikkeli draws on influences from both Austrian and Scottish Art Nouveau but strives at the same time to blend in with the surrounding Neoclassical architecture.