Verkatehdas Park is situated in the traditional industrial milieu of the Old Town that includes the rapids and redbrick factory buildings that were mostly built in the latter half of the 19th century. This area is very culturally and historically valuable.
The main factory building that now houses the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences has been transformed many times over the decades. The original redbrick cloth factory was design by architect Theodor Höijer (1843–1910) and completed in 1900. The weaving mill was expanded in 1907 and again in 1932. The latest conversion of the building into an educational facility was designed by architect Kai Wartiainen.
Verkatehdas Park is a popular green area for outdoor recreation. It has many tall old trees, and the Old Town Brook (Vanhankaupunginoja) flows through it. Students from Metropolia often stage summer theatre performances in the park. The brook that flows from beside the allotment gardens in Annala Manor Park through Verkatehdas Park once divided Helsinki into two. The brook is spanned by two light bridges.
The renovation of Kuninkaankartanonsaari, Pornaistenniemi and the eastern shore of Vantaansuu, Koskipuisto on the western shore of Vantaansuu and the Verkatehdas shoreline has created an impressive green area that offers recreational opportunities for the 7000 new residents of Arabianranta, as well as existing residents in the area.
