Bohemian National Hall (Cleveland, Ohio)

Bohemian National Hall is an historic building located in Cleveland, Ohio, that was built in 1896.[1] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 1975. The hall was built to serve the cultural and educational needs of the Czech immigrant community, and currently serves as host to Sokol Greater Cleveland and the Cleveland Czech Cultural Center and Museum.[2]

Bohemian National Hall (Cleveland, Ohio)
Front facade of the Bohemian National Hall
Location4939 Broadway Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44127
Coordinates41°28′20″N 81°39′23″W
Built1896
Architectural styleRomanesque
NRHP reference No.75001359
Added to NRHPMay 28, 1975

Building history

Over the years, the building's exterior darkened appreciably due to the pollution from nearby steel mills.[3]

Sokol, a local Czech American society which promotes athletics and healthy living, purchased the building for $35,000 ($200,000 in 2019 dollars) in 1975.[3]

Bohemian National Hall underwent a $400,000 ($600,000 in 2019 dollars) renovation in 1997. The basement was deepened by 2 feet (0.61 m) to raise the ceiling to a more customary height. In the first floor lobby, paint was stripped from the quarter-sawn oak molding and panelling and a false wall removed to reveal a wrought iron screen. The walls of the grand ballroom on the second floor were cleaned of more than a century of grime, and two ornate hand-carved columns were rescued and placed in the third-floor museum. An elevator was also added to the structure, to make the fourth floor gymnasium more accessible.[3]

In 1998, Sokol began construction on a $1.5 million ($2,400,000 in 2019 dollars), 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m2) addition to the Bohemian National Hall. Built by Panzica Construction, the volleyball court (which shared the ballroom) and the gymnastics practice area (on the fourth floor) moved to the addition once it was finished.[3]

References
  1. "Bohemian National Hall". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  2. "Cultural Centers - Bohemian National Hall". Slavic Village Development. Archived from the original on 2011-11-19. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
  3. Mcintyre, Michael K. (August 8, 1998). "Turning An Eyesore Into a Showplace". The Plain Dealer. p. B1.
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