Completed in 1923, the Burman Villa belonged for decades to the city‑owned transport company Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS (TLT), which sold it last summer to Pepper Invest OÜ. In August, the new owner applied to the city for permission to demolish the building. Tallinn's heritage protection department rejected the request.

In 2022, Tallinn commissioned an expert assessment to determine the architectural and historical value of the villa and whether it should be protected. Architectural historian Karin Hallas‑Murula concluded that the building has national‑level cultural value and recommended designating it as a protected monument.

The city did not submit a protection proposal to the National Heritage Board at the time, believing that as the owner, it understood the building's cultural significance and would ensure its preservation without state protection.

High architectural and historical value

After the new owner's demolition request placed the villa at risk, the National Heritage Board commissioned an additional expert opinion from architectural historian Leele Välja in August last year. That assessment confirmed the building's high architectural and historical value.

In September, the Heritage Board imposed temporary protection on the villa and began evaluating whether it should be declared a monument. A pause in the process occurred in November when the owner restricted access to the building, but Heritage Board representatives regained entry in December. That month, the board decided to initiate formal proceedings to protect the villa.

The Heritage Board conducted a value‑based assessment, in which the Burman Villa scored over 70 percent — qualifying it for designation as an architectural monument, according to the minister's order.

The assessment found the building to be highly valuable architecturally and historically. It was designed in 1921 by Karl Burman (1882–1965), regarded as Estonia's first professional architect.

"The 1920s were an active peak period in Burman's work, well reflected in this building," the order states.

Other Burman‑designed buildings already under protection include a villa on Õie Street in Tallinn, a residence on Kesk Street in Puka, and a Jugendstil apartment building at Raua 39 in Tallinn. Burman's works are also found in heritage areas in Viljandi (Posti Street) and Pärnu (Ringi Street).

Owner seeks to build a new structure

In February, the Tallinn city government announced its support for granting monument status. The owner, however, requested compromise talks and rejected the legality of placing the villa under protection.

Pepper Invest — owned by Hans Alter, according to the business registry — still wished to demolish the building and construct an office building in its place, the same plan it had when purchasing the property from TLT for €500,000.

The Heritage Board considers it possible to build a new structure on the plot, but not in place of the Burman Villa — rather on the side facing Ehitajate tee. The expert council for architectural monuments likewise recommended considering new construction on the Ehitajate tee side while preserving and restoring the historic building.

Purga's order also notes that "establishing a protection zone does not create a construction‑ban area nor require preserving existing greenery unchanged; it serves as a planning and consideration tool to guide future activities in a way that balances the owner's interests with heritage‑protection goals."

As a concession, the order states that construction within the monument's protection zone is permitted.

In its February compromise proposal, the owner acknowledged that the Burman Villa has historical significance but questioned whether it is a landmark of the area with exceptional architectural value, arguing that TLT had owned the building for years without recognizing any such value and had allowed it to deteriorate.

The owner also argued that establishing a protection zone across the entire plot, when only the historic building is protected, is disproportionate and does not meet administrative‑law proportionality principles.

The protection zone covers all areas of the plot outside the footprint of the monument itself.

TLT, while still the owner, had previously estimated that restoring the Burman Villa would cost around €1.5 million.

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