Slavic sites in Chicago compete for funding

Through 10 October you can vote for a site in Chicago to win $1 million in preservation assistance from American Express in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Even though this does not deal with New York, two of the 25 sites up for the funding are major parts of Slavic history in the United States.

First up is Bohemian National Cemetery [official website], founded in 1877 by Czech, Slovak and Moravian immigrants and is the final resting place of former Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. The site has been on the National Register of Historic Places only since 2006. Apart from the grounds and the memorials, the cemetery is also a major source of genealogical information.

The other site is Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral [official website], the only existing church in the world by Louis Henry Sullivan – one of the greatest American architects of the 20th century. The church was founded with money from Czar Nicholas II and built in 1903 to serve the local Carpatho-Rusyn communities. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since the late 1970s.

Take your pick, just make sure you vote before 10 October!