The Idea and Attempts of Building Slovenian National Home on St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland

The article deals with the history of Slovenski narodni dom (Slovenian National Home) on St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland, from the first initiatives to build the Home until World War II. On the basis of newspaper articles, jubilee miscellanea, as well as the notes from meetings and financial reports, the authors show the process of building the Home and the activities of organizations connected with this Home.

The paper discusses the history of Slovenian National Home on St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, from the first initiatives to build it until the beginning of World War II. On the basis of newspaper articles, jubilee anthologies, minutes of meetings and financial reports, the authors present the process of building the Home as well as the involvement of organizations which had been connected with Slovenian National Home on St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland. During the first decade of this century, there were several dozen Slovene societies in that area. The first initiatives to build the Home appeared at that time due to the fact that the meetings of Slovene societies had to take place in the Church hall of St. Vitus Parish.

The Slovenes in Cleveland began to collect the money for Slovenian National Home shortly before the beginning of World War I, when the Slovenian National Home Association was organized. Although their involvement with building the Home decreased during World War I, they bought a t that time the premises on which Slovenian National Home had been built by 1923. Since the »Home« was organized as a joint-stock company, they collected money on the basis of shares. Thus, the question arose whether the decisions about the Home should be made as they usually are in a joint-stock company (each share meaning one vote) or on the basis of the societies which were members of the stock company. Finally, the standpoint prevailed that they should make decisions as a Joint-stock company. Numerous cultural institutions were involved with the »Home«, among them the theatre society Ivan Cankar, the singing societies »Zarja« and »Triglav«, »Slovenska Narodna čitalnica« (the »Slovene Reading-Society«), »Slovensko sokolsko društvo« (the Slovene »Sokol« Society) and »Slovenska mladinska šola« (the »Slovene Youth School«).