Tartu Old Town Polyclinic Building Has New Owner Livida

The city of Tartu sold a historic nearly two-hundred-year-old polyclinic building located on Gildi Street in the old town at an auction for three million euros to real estate developer Livida. The company's goal is to give the historic building a multifunctional use dimension in the heart of Tartu.

The property at Gildi Street 8, consisting of two buildings, was sold last week at a Tartu City Government auction for 3,045,000 euros to Livida Gildi OÜ. The building, with a total area of 1000 m2, was built in 1838 and has historically housed a knitwear factory, a girls' school, and a polyclinic, which ceased operations nearly four years ago. Since then, the building has stood empty, with the city only ensuring its maintenance.

Livida's goal is to avoid creating monofunctional spaces

Livida's main plan is to open the building to Tartu's old town. This means that the building will be utilized primarily as a multifunctional center, combining public-oriented services (such as cafes, restaurants, service providers) with office and accommodation spaces. The goal is to avoid creating monofunctional spaces in the old town, as the aim aligns with the city's vision of opening Tartu's old town to locals and visitors.

The city of Tartu's interest is to bring life to the old town

After the polyclinic closed, maintaining the Gildi Street property cost the city approximately 18,000 euros per year. This meant that the building's condition was preserved, but new investments were avoided. Several years ago, attempts were made to find a tenant for the building, which failed due to lack of interest. Therefore, the city found that transferring the property to private hands also fulfills the city's development goals - bringing life and people to the heart of the old town.

Gildi is not the only historic building receiving new life

For Livida, a Tartu-based company that entered the real estate market with major steps this year, the Gildi Street property is not the only old town development. Just recently, construction began at Radhause, located at Town Hall Square. "Our goal is to value architecture and history, which is why we see a great positive challenge precisely in this type of development," described Livida's managing partner Kaarel Kiidron.

In addition to Radhause and Gildi, several other historic buildings are being renovated and developed, including, for example, the development of the Pärmi Factory quarter located in Ülejõe and the development of the old Kõrgema Kunstikool Pallas sculpture department "stone house" Natuur at the corner of Veski Street. Work is also underway on the Resident development located next to today's Apparatus Factory.