To the north of Kauppatori Square stands the Presidential Palace, one of C. L. Engel’s grand neo-classical buildings. Originally at the beginning of 19th century, a salt storehouse stood on the site. The entire lot was bought by merchant Johan Henrik Heidenstrauch who built the first palace in 1820. He had to sell it to the senate of Finland in 1837 and the building was moved to the official residence of the Tsar or Russia (Imperial Palace of Finland). The Imperial family of Russia visited the palace several times between 1854-1915. During the World War I palace functioned as military hospital for Russian Army. In the Finnish Civil War (1918) it was first the headquarters of the Executive Committee of the Helsinki Workers and Soldiers Soviet. With the victory of the Whites, the Reds abandoned the Palace, which was temporarily used by German and White Finnish military staff. After the war it was quickly converted to the presidential palace of independent Finland.