Kaleva district is situated on the western side of the Tampere city centre. It is one of the largest post-war residential areas in Finland. The first part of the Kaleva plan, Liisankallio area, was designed by architect Elis Kaalamo in the end of 1930s. Kaalamo was the first Tampere City Planning Architect from 1929 to 1946.

The housing blocks are grouped around the main streets Sammonkatu and Teiskontie. Kaleva Church (1966) by Raili and Reima Pietilä, Sampola Worker’s Institute (1962) by Timo Penttilä and Kari Virta and Kaleva High School (1954) by Jaakko Ilveskoski are located to the eastern side of the district. Saukonpuisto School (1960) by Eeva Uotila and Children’s House (1952) by Tapani Nironen are located around the park Saukonpuisto, to the northern side of the district.

The residential blocks of Kaleva were constructed from 1940 to 1960. “Teisko Towers”, eleven point blocks in the crossing of Sammonkatu and Teiskontie were built in 1949–1956. The point blocks were designed by Tampere based architect Harry W. Schreck. Kalevankartano, also known as “China Wall”, located in the plot between Sammonkatu, Kaupinkatu and Kalevantie, was completed in 1960. It was designed by architects Lauri Silvennoinen and Dag Englund. Silvennoinen continued the ideas of Kalevankartano’s lamel block in the development of the Pihlajamäki suburb in Helsinki.

Tampere City Architect Bertel Strömmer and architects Jaakko Tähtinen and Pauli Salomaa were among the planners who participated in the design of Kaleva’s blocks of flats.