Gallery Kivipankki

Gallery Kivipankki was built in 1913 and designed by architect Ilmari Launis. Originally, it served as the office for Jämsä Säästöpankki (Bank). In 1993, the building was renovated into a cultural space for the city of Jämsä. Over the years, Kivipankki became well-known as an exhibition venue for leading Finnish artists. It also hosted environmental art exhibitions, landscape art displays, and international felt art exhibitions during the summer.

Since 2024, the operations of Gallery Kivipankki as an art gallery and cultural space have been managed by the Kivipankki Association.

The Building’s History

The plans for Jämsä Bank’s office were commissioned from renowned architect Ilmari Launis in 1912. The building was constructed using grey granite from Jämsä, with artist Josef Alanen assisting with the decorative elements of the façade. Construction began in spring 1913, and the granite was quarried from Piispanen Hill—a labor-intensive process with the tools of that era.

The project drew significant attention locally and regionally, and even before its completion, the building earned the nickname “Kivipankki” (Stone Bank). The building was completed at the end of 1913 and officially inaugurated in March 1914.

When a new bank building was constructed at Arvio Crossroads in 1965, banking operations gradually moved out of Kivipankki. Afterward, the building housed various tenants until Jämsä’s City Council leased it as a cultural space during its 550th-anniversary meeting. Renovations began in 1992, with the lower floor completed in 1993 and the upper floor in February 1994—80 years after its original inauguration.

Kivipankki grew into a prominent exhibition venue for Finnish art and became the starting point for environmental and landscape art exhibitions, as well as summer felt art displays. In 2001, the environmental art association JOKI began operating from Kivipankki.

Gallery Spaces

Kivipankki has two floors.

• Lower floor: 80 m², including a hall, kitchen, and entrance. The walls are white, and the floor is oak parquet. 
• Upper floor: 80 m², divided into four exhibition rooms with white walls and grey linoleum flooring. Note: there is no elevator to the upper floor.

Both floors are equipped with hanging wires for exhibitions.

1 Floor layout map                                   2 Floor layout map