The sprawling former military barracks located in Tondi, south of central Tallinn, once hosted a military college which was the scene of an abortive communist coup over 100 years ago.

The buildings are, after several decades' development, mostly completed and set aside both for residential and commercial use. The final barracks building, which is still in a dilapidated state, is now in the design phase, noted Carolin Pihlap, head of the heritage protection department at the Tallinn city planning department.

Businessman Urmas Sõõrumaa, who owns several of the properties, noted the first project dates as far back as 1998, while an adjacent building, which formerly hosted the now defunct Audentes University, was renovated about a decade ago.

"It is somehow good and interesting to modernize old things, because it is difficult to put soul into them. If you manage to preserve some old charm, or even more so the entire structural framework of a building, it offers great possibilities," Sõõrumaa commented.

Meanwhile, Pihlap said the on of the last buildings to be upgraded "is currently, you could say, basically derelict, the condition is very bad, but at the same time we have had active cooperation with the owner for several years already. We are nearing the end of the design process, finalizing details such as balcony railings, so I am very hopeful that at some point this building, too, will receive a worthy appearance in the cityscape,"

A total of buildings associated with the Tondi military school which the facilities housed are listed as monuments, meaning they are under heritage protection, though not all of them are owned by the same party.

"Our task, both from the heritage protection aspect and from the city's as a whole, is to ensure that this quarter retains a cohesive overall appearance," Pihlap continued.

"All monuments which are in use always get preserved the best, and the work done so far has been very well executed and also inspires neighbors to renovate their own buildings. So there is no reason to complain," she added.

The final project may take some time. Maido Lüiste, CEO of Scandium, which recently acquired the property from businessman Urmas Sõõrumaa, said it would be a challenge.

"The exterior walls are in good condition and the building looks good from the outside. Fortunately, a new roof was installed there at some point, which has kept the walls in tolerable condition, but inside the building is empty. The most valuable part of the building is precisely the red brick walls, the façade. Our aim is to develop and renovate buildings that also add value to the urban space," Lüiste went on, adding the building is most likely to host office and commercial space.

Options include a cafe or restaurant, and even a swimming club has approached the company, Lüiste said. Sõõrumaa still owns three more of the units, which have involved major investments likely "at least around a hundred [million]," not always with the best return, he said.

"Park Tondi Residentsid, which we built, again in my own style — I tend to build them too well, with ceilings that are too high and spacious rooms, and that is often expensive and generates little profit," Sõõrumaa noted.

"But I simply don't know how to do it any other way," the businessman went on. As for the building he sold to Scandium last week, this was partly done due to the lessons learned with the other properties, Sõõrumaa added.

Another building in need of renovation belongs to Pro Kapital, who declined to give comment to ERR on their plans.

A total of 26 Estonian soldiers and military cadets based at the Tondi barracks lost their lives in the coup attempt by around 300 Soviet-backed and armed Comintern on December 1, 1924, which hit several other targets. Estonian government forces soon reasserted their control. Over 100 insurgents were killed in the fighting.

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