Anton Soans

Anton Lembit Soans (September 17, 1885 Oranienbaum, Russia – November 26, 1966 Tallinn, Estonia) was an Estonian architect, urban planner and lecturer. He was one of the founding members of the Estonian Architects Union.

Education and work experience In 1905, he graduated from the Tallinn Peter’s School of Science (now Tallinn Secondary School of Science). In Estonia, it was not possible to study architecture or engineering, so Anton Soans got his professional education at the Riga Polytechnic Institute (now Riga Technical University) in 1905–1913. This Riga group is considered to be the first generation of Estonian architects.

Due to the lack of architects, there was no corresponding organization in Estonia in the tsarist era. In 1921, 10 local architects, including Anton Soans, founded the Estonian Architects Association (now the Union of Estonian Architects).

Anton Soans had a very varied career. Specialist career began in St. Petersburg as a member of the Association of Apartment Buildings under the guide of Ernst Wierich, it was recommended to work with someone for a few years before becoming independent professional. A good example of a garden city is the construction of Aarde and Preesi streets in Pelgulinna (1927), using H. Johanson's four typical projects (1929).

1927–1928. the project "Air, Water and the Sun", which was created by Anton Soans, Edgar Kuusik and Frans de Vries, was awarded 1st Prize at the competition organized by the Pirita Coastal Planning Program.

During 1927–28 Toompea hillside and the mound was restored, a pedestrian walkway was built, a stadium at the center of the park with a service building for schools in the center of the city. A quadrilateral fountain designed by Anton Soans was constructed on the pond's shore, near which was built a rock-garden.

Anton Soans was able to implement the principles of planning town planning in a good manner, taking into account the historical development of urban architecture, and thus actively involved in urban planning in smaller cities, towns, factory settlements and residential areas. In 1923 Soans made the first plan of Haapsalu, which foresaw it as a new management and shopping center (not performed), a more densely populated main street of Karja, a fire fighting house, a sanatorium specially for the resort and Läänemaa Gymnasium. In the same year, he designed, together with architect A. Eichhenhorn, a Tartu Ropka-Bishop Garden private district. In addition, there was work in the recreation areas in Sindi (1929), Rannamõisa (1929), Otepää, Vasalemma and Taevaskoja (1932).

As a city planner after World War II Soans’ urban planning intensified after World War II. A detailed plan for Mõisaküla private area was created with E. Habermann (1947). Then the post-war planning plans for Viljandi (1950), Narva, Põltsamaa (1955) and Valga (1956). Revival of Pärnu as a formerly prestigious resort town, restoration of Tartu as a centre for education and science (1945 with Peeter Tarvase, 1948, 1954 with J. Fomini and H. Arman, 1959 corrected) and Tallinn's new general plan (with O. Keppe and H. Arman, Option I, 1946, Revised 1950, was approved in 1952; Soviet Estonia Prize in 1948).

In 1933, along with E. J. Kuusik, he designed the Tallinn Art Hall. This was a competition project, which was completed in 1934 with the financial support of Cultural Capital. A modernist aesthetic, featuring a large glass screen that combines exhibition halls, meeting rooms, and a number of studio windows.

That same year Soans designed an apartment building at Tõnismäe 16a, completed in 1936

At the end of 1937, the Bank of Estonia announced the Pärnu bank house competition. In collaboration with Alar Kotl, Soans designed the winning project. The building was started in 1939, aiming for completion during the same year, but construction was delayed by the Second World War. It was finished in 1943. It was the largest structure in Pärnu and one of the largest bank buildings in Estonia at that time. Reconstruction and style will inevitably be similar in appearance to the same agency, perhaps even more decorative. Today it is the headquarters of SEB Pärnu.

He also designed the Pelgulinna Resort (destroyed in 1936), the Estonian Seedlings Community House (Valli St 1936), the Industrial Palace (1937 A. Kotli), the Fairs Building (1937) and the English College ( with J Kunder and A Jansen, 37–38, all in Tallinn, but not built) and the Pühajärve Holiday Home (only the administrative building was built in 1954).

Married in 1930 Ellen Bachman, who worked as an accountant. They had two sons Eerik and Ado Soans, the first is a forest scientist and the younger one a civil engineer in civilian and industrial construction. His nephew was an artist Olev Soans, his brother's grandson is sculptor Jaak Soans.