Keskuskatu

Keskuskatu (Finnish, Swedish: "Centralgatan"), meaning "central street", is a two block long walking street in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. Along the street are located, counting from the southern end on Pohjoisesplanadi street, the Stockmann department store, the Rautatalo building, Domus Litonii, WTC Helsinki and the shopping centre City-Center, nicknamed "Makkaratalo" ("sausage house"). Keskuskatu ends at Kaivokatu opposite to the Helsinki Central railway station. Halfway through the street it is crossed by Aleksanterinkatu.
History.
The street was originally named Hakasalmenkatu (Swedish: "Hagasundsgatan") and only reached northwards from Aleksanterinkatu. The idea to punch the street through a city block to help traffic between the Esplanadi park and the central railway station was first proposed by Helsingin Rakennuskauppa Oy in 1913. An architecture contest about the street was announced at the time, but its implementation was prevented by the first World War.
In 1916, the businessman Allan Hjelt and the architect Eliel Saarinen started warming up the idea about punching the street through a city block. Their company Ab Centralgatan Oy bought Helsingin Rakennuskauppa Oy (named Oy Building at the time) and received ownership of the properties on Aleksanterinkatu 52 and Pohjoinen Esplanadikatu 37-41. Saarinen made plans of the street and its business properties in the same year, originally about one street's width to the side of Hakasalmenkatu. The plan was published at the end of the year and was received by the city council for consideration. The council approved the plan in March 1917, but decided that a straight line with Hakasalmenkatu would be better for traffic.
In the end of the year 1919 the city and the company Ab Centralgatan Oy started negotiations about moving the street as a direct continuation of Hakasalmenkatu. Soon Ab Stockmann Oy joined the negotiations, and ended up buying the entire company in April 1920. So the street was built as a direct continuation of Hakasalmenkatu all the way up to Pohjoisesplanadi according to the zoning plan approved in 1920, also giving the Stockmann block its current form. Continuing the street also affected the construction plans of the department store, requiring the dismantling of several old buildings such as the old premises of Café Ekberg. Stockmann also received the right to build storage facilities under the street, which has later allowed building an underground corridor connecting the department store with the Akateeminen Kirjakauppa book store. In 1928 the street received its current name according to a proposal from Stockmann.
Keskuskatu was later changed to a walking street in a renovation completed in summer 2014. As part of the renovation, the street was paved with the non-repeating Penrose tiling.
Keskuskatu is one of the properties in the original Finnish edition of "Monopoly".