Bohemian National Hall – The Center of Czech Culture for More Than 100 Years • Original condition • Work in progress
• Groundbreaking 05/2003 The neo-renaissance building created by the architect William C. Frohe in 1895-1897 represents one of the oldest original Czech constructions in New York. A symbol of the Czech presence in America, it was proposed for the Manhattan district of Yorkville, in the residential Upper East Side of East 73rd Street, the area that was the central habitat for Czech immigrants. From its opening the Bohemian National Hall served as a center for the preservation of the Czech language, culture and history. It also offered space for the social activities of Czech compatriots in New York. Speeches given by presidents Tomas Garrigue Masaryk and Edward Benes are proof of its historical importance, as well as its place in the history of Czech immigrants in the Unites States, which had the largest Czech community outside the homeland. The cultural importance of the building was upheld in 1994 by the architectural-historical award that proclaimed the building a New York City monument. © Marian Benes
