Sunday, February 25, 2007
Bohemian National Hall
On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Bohemian National Hall, a big neo-Renaissance building with its freshly renovated off-white façade and the sign Narodni Budova (National Building) proudly announces that the history of Czechs in New York continues.
The building, with its five stories, stands in the middle of the block on East 73rd Street, between Second and First Avenues. Not unlike the Czech state, which needed a full renovation after the fall of Communism, the Hall needed to be partially built anew. Modern conveniences (elevators, air conditioning, bathrooms on each floor) and safety features (wide emergency exit staircases, stronger walls) were added.
The renovation started almost six years ago and still continues, except for the third floor, which has been finished and is already used for gatherings and cultural events. Many of those in any way connected to Czechs or the former Czechoslovakia – about 26 thousand in the city - visit even now, before the end of renovations and the Hall’s official opening.
Near a typical New York parking lot and among typical New York tenement buildings, this impressive structure represents Czechness once again.
Inside, men stand on ladders, a Polish contractor works on wires.
On the third floor, the only floor already in use, two spacious rooms await their admirers. Four red leather chairs sit in front of wide windows, across from the wall covered with shelves of books in Czech and Slovak. The Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, who lived in New York, looks down from the wall. A white lime stone fire place rescued from his former home sits in between two desks.
Everything smells of paint. The carpets and the doors, all new, so far almost untouched, wait for a history of their own.
Above, on the fifth floor, the great Ball Room is in ruins. Bare red brick walls surround the huge empty space, which once saw great theatrical productions. If the floor could talk, it would tell about balls, weddings and parties with music and dance. Now there is silence. A century is soaked into this structure, with both fame and decline. It is dark inside, only the construction worker’s bright light disturbs the heaviness, as if the old building decided to close its eyes and reminisce.
“The symbols of our presence in New York are disappearing,” Halka Kaiserova, the counsel general of the Czech Republic said. “Antonin Dvorak’s house, in which he wrote his symphony ‘From The New World’, was demolished. The Bohemian Hall was on the verge of disappearing as well and our government thought it was worth saving.”
Czechs and Slovaks began their emigration to New York in the 1870s; that influx peaked at the turn of the century. By that time, about 30,000 Bohemians lived on the Upper East Side, in Little Bohemia, located between 65th and 78th Streets.
Looking for places that would preserve their history and culture, the various organizations and clubs serving Czechs and Slovaks (under the umbrella name Bohemian Benevolent Literary Association) built the National Hall, at 321-323 East 73rd Street. The building opened in 1896, the ground floor with a restaurant and bar, the upper floors offered club rooms, a theater and a ballroom.
By the 1960s, the Czechs and Slovaks had moved to other parts of New York, mostly Queens and the building was used as a theatre and private studios. Liza Minelli, among others, performed in the building. By the late 1980s, rumor of demolition spread among the expatriates.
The Czech government negotiated with the umbrella of Czech organizations, buying the building in 2001 for $1, renovating it and selling the third floor back to the NGOs for $1.
Because of some unforeseen hurdles, such as the oil leak in the basement and asbestos removal, the renovation is still in progress. By the project’s completion, planned for the fall of next year, its final cost is estimated to reach $30 million.
“Everybody loves to come here – it’s a beautiful building and I am very pleased with the work done on the third floor,” said Jan Hird Pokorny, the 95-year old architect who prepared plans for façade renovation and who came to New York in 1940.
“The guests are a mixture of new and old immigrants, Czechs and Slovaks,” Pokorny, who participates on most events in the building, added. He is happy that the building functions even while the reconstruction is still continuing.
“About half of our visitors so far were American,” Pavel Semerak, who oversees the reconstruction on behalf of the Czech government, said. “For our Christmas show, Bethlehem, we had a full house four times, including a public rehearsal. We only had 120 helmets, which limited the number of visitors we could allow at any one time.” Visitors had to use helmets because this part of the building is still under construction.
The former Czech president, Vaclav Havel, celebrated his 70th birthday here in 2006; a festival of his plays began on the same day at the Bohemian National Hall. Tom Stoppard, the British playwright of Czech origin joined Havel in December to see the story of Bethlehem, in which the building played a very important role: scenes were staged on every floor, including the roof.
“The new mission of this building is to be a showcase for the Czech Republic,” said Margita Fuchsova, director of the Bohemian National Hall. “The Czech Consulate, the Czech Center and civic organizations will occupy this space, but we envision it as a place of intersection of European and American cultures. Our National Hall lives again!”
On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Bohemian National Hall, a big neo-Renaissance building with its freshly renovated off-white façade and the sign Narodni Budova (National Building) proudly announces that the history of Czechs in New York continues.
The building, with its five stories, stands in the middle of the block on East 73rd Street, between Second and First Avenues. Not unlike the Czech state, which needed a full renovation after the fall of Communism, the Hall needed to be partially built anew. Modern conveniences (elevators, air conditioning, bathrooms on each floor) and safety features (wide emergency exit staircases, stronger walls) were added.
The renovation started almost six years ago and still continues, except for the third floor, which has been finished and is already used for gatherings and cultural events. Many of those in any way connected to Czechs or the former Czechoslovakia – about 26 thousand in the city - visit even now, before the end of renovations and the Hall’s official opening.
Near a typical New York parking lot and among typical New York tenement buildings, this impressive structure represents Czechness once again.
Inside, men stand on ladders, a Polish contractor works on wires.
On the third floor, the only floor already in use, two spacious rooms await their admirers. Four red leather chairs sit in front of wide windows, across from the wall covered with shelves of books in Czech and Slovak. The Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, who lived in New York, looks down from the wall. A white lime stone fire place rescued from his former home sits in between two desks.
Everything smells of paint. The carpets and the doors, all new, so far almost untouched, wait for a history of their own.
Above, on the fifth floor, the great Ball Room is in ruins. Bare red brick walls surround the huge empty space, which once saw great theatrical productions. If the floor could talk, it would tell about balls, weddings and parties with music and dance. Now there is silence. A century is soaked into this structure, with both fame and decline. It is dark inside, only the construction worker’s bright light disturbs the heaviness, as if the old building decided to close its eyes and reminisce.
“The symbols of our presence in New York are disappearing,” Halka Kaiserova, the counsel general of the Czech Republic said. “Antonin Dvorak’s house, in which he wrote his symphony ‘From The New World’, was demolished. The Bohemian Hall was on the verge of disappearing as well and our government thought it was worth saving.”
Czechs and Slovaks began their emigration to New York in the 1870s; that influx peaked at the turn of the century. By that time, about 30,000 Bohemians lived on the Upper East Side, in Little Bohemia, located between 65th and 78th Streets.
Looking for places that would preserve their history and culture, the various organizations and clubs serving Czechs and Slovaks (under the umbrella name Bohemian Benevolent Literary Association) built the National Hall, at 321-323 East 73rd Street. The building opened in 1896, the ground floor with a restaurant and bar, the upper floors offered club rooms, a theater and a ballroom.
By the 1960s, the Czechs and Slovaks had moved to other parts of New York, mostly Queens and the building was used as a theatre and private studios. Liza Minelli, among others, performed in the building. By the late 1980s, rumor of demolition spread among the expatriates.
The Czech government negotiated with the umbrella of Czech organizations, buying the building in 2001 for $1, renovating it and selling the third floor back to the NGOs for $1.
Because of some unforeseen hurdles, such as the oil leak in the basement and asbestos removal, the renovation is still in progress. By the project’s completion, planned for the fall of next year, its final cost is estimated to reach $30 million.
“Everybody loves to come here – it’s a beautiful building and I am very pleased with the work done on the third floor,” said Jan Hird Pokorny, the 95-year old architect who prepared plans for façade renovation and who came to New York in 1940.
“The guests are a mixture of new and old immigrants, Czechs and Slovaks,” Pokorny, who participates on most events in the building, added. He is happy that the building functions even while the reconstruction is still continuing.
“About half of our visitors so far were American,” Pavel Semerak, who oversees the reconstruction on behalf of the Czech government, said. “For our Christmas show, Bethlehem, we had a full house four times, including a public rehearsal. We only had 120 helmets, which limited the number of visitors we could allow at any one time.” Visitors had to use helmets because this part of the building is still under construction.
The former Czech president, Vaclav Havel, celebrated his 70th birthday here in 2006; a festival of his plays began on the same day at the Bohemian National Hall. Tom Stoppard, the British playwright of Czech origin joined Havel in December to see the story of Bethlehem, in which the building played a very important role: scenes were staged on every floor, including the roof.
“The new mission of this building is to be a showcase for the Czech Republic,” said Margita Fuchsova, director of the Bohemian National Hall. “The Czech Consulate, the Czech Center and civic organizations will occupy this space, but we envision it as a place of intersection of European and American cultures. Our National Hall lives again!”
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