The fully renovated building and the area adjacent to it at Straumes iela 1 are a part of a former military hospital complex that was architecturally striking but had fallen into a sad state of disrepair. According to SAB, some elements of historic importance have been preserved while instigating the massive changes needed for security service use.
“May the war doctors who served here, who once protected and restored the health of wounded soldiers, serve as an example to the employees of the Constitution Protection Bureau, fulfilling their official duties and protecting the country of Latvia, its independence and security," said Egils Zviedris, director of SAB, at the opening ceremony November 15 attended by the State President and Prime Minister.
Plans for the restoration and reconstruction project were started as far back as 2017 and works commenced in the fall of 2020. Before the reconstruction started, the building was not occupied and since 2012 it had been standing empty.
According to SAB: "A special testimony to the fact that the building once housed a military hospital are the names of the medical facilities located in the premises. The rooms are named after the seven prominent doctors of the military hospital, colonels and generals, who managed this medical complex from 1919 to 1940."
However, anyone hoping to wander the corridors admiring the architecture is likely to be disappointed as "According to the service’s specifics, the premises of the SAB service are not publicly accessible. The only areas where visitors are allowed are several meeting and interview rooms."
Nevertheless, when it comes to the aesthetic appeal of their respective headquarters, SAB now definitely has bragging rights over the VDD, which moved into a slab-sided post-brutalist eyesore at the start of this year.
