which is your favorite building in the S&B area which isn't a modern skyscraper/building? I'm talking about older buildings, from the 50s and down. Churches and castles etc are not allowed

I've only been in Helsinki couple of times and once in Stockholm, so I don't have too much experience of S&B (capital) cities. My answer is "some building in Stockholm I should've taken photos of when I visited there last time".

Probably the National Philharmony of Lithuania:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/hehe_inc/Good%20Morning%20Vilnius/PICT5689-merge.jpg

Amalienborg Palace :)

http://www.studio409.ca/skyskrapercitypix/dk/amailienborg.jpg

Could be several options from Riga...
Academy of Arts:
http://www.rsp.lv/arh/bildes/jpg/ma.jpg
Melngalvju nams:
http://www.airbaltic.com/upload_pic/image_gallery/thubn/riga_83.jpg
Complex of Guilds (3 buildings), National theatre and many more. Hard to select one.

Sockerslottet (The Sugar Castle)
Karlstad, Sweden

Built: 1899
Usage: Residential
Architect: Carl Österman

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/cro_vax/Sockerslottet10.jpg

This is, in my opinion, definitely the most beautiful building in Karlstad. It was actually nominated in a competition a couple of years ago for the most popular building in Sweden ever (I think the winner was the church in Kiruna).

Sockerslottet was built in 1899 at the request of a man names Jonas Andersson. He was a rich landowner in Värmland, and when his daughter, Ida, was going to get married he decided to build a big residential to her (nice wedding present!?). Andersson said: “Har dôttra fått en tocken fin kär så ska ho ha ett fins hus å bo i". And, yes, she did get a nice home. :)

When the building was completed in 1899, the citizens in Karlstad thought it was so beautiful with its towers and pinnacles, that they started to call it Sockerslottet (The Sugar Castle).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/cro_vax/Sockerslottet01.jpg

Sockerslottet is situated in Klara in Karlstad, with a magnificent view over the river Klarälven.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/cro_vax/Sockerslottet19.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/cro_vax/Sockerslottet13.jpg

Sockerslottet during last renovation, summer 2004. You can also see the most central beach in the city.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/cro_vax/Sockerslottet14.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/cro_vax/01_.jpg

The beautiful entrance and staircase.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/cro_vax/02_.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/Moolio/Pict0008.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/Moolio/Pict0007.jpg

It's amazingly big building by Finnish standards, and I couldn't fit it in one pic. OL probably has a pic where the whole building is shown. Anyways it has two wings like the one in the lower pic.

I don't know the name of it, but it is some kind of a polytechnic in Länsi-Satama (West Harbour).

The National Philharmony of Lithuania, btw, is one of my all-time fovourites in S&B region. I've seen that building in some previous thread, and it never seizes to amaze me. Great building.

It's very hard to choose but I really like Dramaten, because its diffirent and of course very beautiful
http://www.stockholmsbilder.se/Stockholm/Stockholm%20City%20HTML/main/City-35.JPG