Czechs in Yorkville

New York’s Czech community has traditionally been based in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Though few Czechs remain, a large number of sites bear witness to the neighborhood’s Czech history.

The most important sites include:

• Bohemian National Hall (321 E.73rd Street between First and Second Avenues),
• the Czech Center (1109 Madison Avenue at 83rd Street),
• Sokol New York Hall (420 E. 71st Street),
• St. John Nepomucene Church (411 E.66th Street at First Avenue),
• St. John the Martyr Catholic Church (252 E.72nd Street between Second and Third Avenues) and
• Jan Hus Presbyterian Church (347 E.74th Street).

Other important Czech sites in New York include:

• Bohemian Hall & Park (29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria),
• Zlata Praha Restaurant (28-48 31st Street, Astoria),
• the Dvorak Monument (E 17th Street at 2nd Avenue)
• and the original New York Times building (1 Times Square, built by Czech-American architect Cyrus Eidlitz).

A good overview of Czech sites in New York and throughout the country is Czech-American Historic Places & Monuments by Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr. And check out Bohemia returns to the Big Apple from the Prague Post.

(Photo of Bohemian National Hall from the Czech Consulate General in New York)