The building history of Katajanokka's eastern part — from the depot fortification begun in the late 18th century but left unfinished, to barracks for the capital's Russian garrison and later the Finnish naval crew, then to the Baltic Fleet's war harbour, back to barracks for Finnish troops, then to Valmet's shipyard area, and finally to the home of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, i.e. the Marine Barracks (Merikasarmi) — represents an exceptionally multi-stranded sequence of events. The Marine Barracks, grouped around the old depot courtyard, consist of barrack buildings designed by C. L. Engel from the late 1810s onwards, as well as the results of the extensive renovation and new construction phase carried out in 1980 (design: architect Erik Krökström). The development of the whole paid particular attention to the north-facing front of the building group, where the aim was to complete the grand neoclassical composition designed by Engel in 1825 but only partly realised. The Marine Barracks, dominating the eastern part of Katajanokka, are of particular significance — especially as a historic barracks area and as ministerial office premises — for the military building heritage, the various phases of the state's construction activities, and the building history of the capital.
Official description (Museovirasto) — machine-translated from Finnish
Merikasarmi is a barracks building in Katajanokka, Helsinki, Finland, originally built for the military of the Russian Empire from 1816 to 1820, which currently houses the premises of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland. The barracks was designed by Carl Ludvig Engel. Before the Foreign Ministry moved to the area in the late 1980s, the buildings were renovated and partly rebuilt according to the plans of Professor of Architecture Erik Kråkström.