The history of the Wetterhoff quarter

The Fredrika Wetterhoff Craft School opened in 1885 in a building that also housed a children's home. The weaving department was initially established in the same building in 1886, but later moved to a building owned by the Wetterhoff family, which later housed the local business school. In 1888, the school moved to a new location at the corner of Raatihuoneenkatu and Kasarmikatu streets. Fredrika Wetterhoff spoke to the town of Hämeenlinna about renting a site to house a new school building. Her approaches were turned down, so she rented a two-storey building situated by Lake Vanajavesi for her school in 1890, which she then bought three years later. The school had found a home. Fredrika arranged the renovation of the building, which dated back to the 1860's, so that it better suited its new purpose. Eventually, the school building housed a weaving mill, classrooms, the living quarters of the headmistress, student halls, a dye house and washroom, a carpenter's workshop and a shop. The school now had enough room to expand – the weaving halls alone could accommodate 70–80 handlooms.

In 1923, the so-called first preparatory class, intended to be the first class of the institute, was founded. The number of enrolled students increased so much that the old premises could no longer accommodate all the students. Consequently, in 1925, new classrooms and student halls were added to the building. As the number of students continued to grow, additional workspaces and funds were required. In 1927, a dye house with heating equipment and steam-heated dye vats was built in the yard of the old building. The carpenter's workshop also moved to the new dye house. In addition to the two teacher training classes, the Wetterhoff school also provided a three-month weaving course as well as a sewing course during both terms. Soon, the headmistress, Helena Brander, began to plan the addition of more rooms. Her plans resulted in the third storey, which housed classrooms and weaving rooms.

In 1930, the preparatory class was officially made the first class of the institute. The student intake for the one-year weaving course increased and student halls were converted into classrooms and, as the business expanded, for storage capacity. A ground floor room, which was used as the dining hall, also functioned as a sewing class between meals. The kitchen was situated in a room next to the carpenter's workshop and the institute lacked a sufficiently large assembly hall as well as a gymnasium. To improve the situation, headmistress Brander went to work once again.

In 1933, a new extension was completed, which housed student halls with common rooms, a dining room and a kitchen, an assembly hall, staff quarters, showers, a sauna, a garage, a mangling room as well as cellars and storage rooms. The construction work started again in 1937, when the corner building linking the old building and the new extension was built. The corner building housed workshops and classrooms and the shop, which is still there today.