LOUIS KAHN Estonia Foundation

About Us

Louis Isadore Kahn was one of the most important architects of the 20th century. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania using the Beaux-Arts method, he transformed the understanding of architecture with his exceptional use of mass, light, and structure.

Louis I. Kahn (February 20, 1901 – April 17, 1974) was born and spent his early childhood in Kuressaare, on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia. He lived there for the first five years of his life before moving to and later working in the United States.

Kahn’s connection to Estonia extends beyond Saaremaa through his long collaboration with Estonian-born concrete engineer August E. Komendant, who served as Kahn’s structural consultant for nearly 17 years starting in 1957.

Komendant once said about Kahn: “He still remembered the wondrous white nights, rocky shores, and meals consisting of small red potatoes and flounder". Kahn often remarked that at least 25% of ‘good Estonian blood’ flowed through his veins and always referred to Estonia, not Russia, as his birthplace, despite occasional misunderstandings.

In 2011, the Estonian Association of Architects and the Estonian Centre of Architecture founded the Louis Kahn Estonian Foundation, aiming to acquire the 
concert boat Point Counterpoint II, designed by Louis I. Kahn. Although bringing the boat to Estonia was unsuccessful, the foundation continued its work in researching and preserving Kahn’s legacy, largely thanks to Ott Rätsep’s dedicated efforts.

A collaborative project by art historian Heie Marie Treier and photographer Arne Maasik resulted in a visual study published as the book Kahn. Saarlane (Kahn. The Islander). Designer Martin Pedanik developed Kahn’s typography and stylistic elements. One of the highlights of the foundation’s early activities was Arne Maasik's photographic exhibition From Island to Island at the United Nations Headquarters.

Between 2021 and 2024, the foundation appointed a new board and organized numerous events, both in Estonia and abroad, to celebrate Louis I. Kahn’s 120th birth anniversary. These efforts earned the organization the Cultural Award from the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The most notable events in Estonia included:

  • The Kahn120 conference with the participation of Per Olaf Fjeld, accompanied by an exhibition by American photographer Abelardo Morell at Kuressaare Town Hall Gallery in 2021.
  • The release of Maria Faust's LP Monument, inspired by Kahn and Kuressaare Castle.
  • The short film A Walk on Louis Kahn's Native Island.
  • In collaboration with The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the unveiling of a marker in Kuressaare Castle Park in 2022, identical to the one located in front of Kahn's office in Philadelphia. This marker is the only one of its kind outside the United States.

In December 2024, the founding members of the Louis Kahn Estonian Foundation appointed a new board, which set its primary goal as establishing the Kahn Center in Saaremaa. The board aims to continue the foundation’s previous activities while making it broader-based and more open.