The Sokol Auditorium is located at 2234 South 13th Street in the
Little Bohemia neighborhood of
South Omaha, Nebraska South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. ...
. It is a local icon for its historical context, as well as modern musical performances and gymnastics. It has a maximum capacity of 1,500.
Located below the auditorium is the Sokol Underground, where numerous concert promoters such as
Hunt Industries host many rock and hip hop concerts.
Sokol has been purchased and is now owned operated by
1% Productions. This venue is now called The Admiral Theatre, named after the defunct Omaha movie theater of the same name.
History
Sokol Auditorium was built in 1926 at the corner of South 13th Street and Martha Street to house many of Omaha's
Czech community’s social activities. Sokols were fraternal (and sororal) organizations founded in Bohemia to promote equality, harmony, and fraternity. As one of four in Omaha, the Sokol Auditorium was utilized for meetings by twenty-five Bohemian lodges as well as ethnic Italians and American groups. The hall also offered recreation classes for its members.
[Mead & Hunt, Inc. (2006) ' Nebraska State Historical Society. p. 6. Retrieved 6/17/07.]
The Sokol Auditorium in Omaha was one of many such buildings built as part of the
Sokol
The Sokol movement (, ''falcon'') is an all-age gymnastics organization first founded in Prague in the Czech region of Austria-Hungary in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner. It was based upon the principle of " a strong mind in a so ...
movement. In 1862, a highly educated young intellectual, Dr.
Miroslav Tyrš
Miroslav Tyrš (born Friedrich Emanuel Tirsch, in Czech: Bedřich Tyrš; 17 September 1832 – 8 August 1884) was a Czechs, Czech philosopher, Art history, art historian, sports organizer and together with Jindřich Fügner the cofounder of the ...
(1832-1884) founded Sokol. His goal was to develop physically strong and mentally alert citizens, and to instill in them a deep love for national freedom from volunteer exercise and discipline.
Sokols have been prominent in the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
for many years. Sokol Omaha sent
Phil Cahoy and
James Hartung
James Hartung (born June 7, 1960) is a retired American gymnast. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska.
Elite competition
Hartung was a member of the 1980 Olympic team but did not compete due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Mosco ...
as members of the
1980 Olympic team; Hartung competed again in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
.
Legacy
The Sokol Auditorium has been mentioned specifically in a number of songs from the last twenty years.
The Faint
The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Graham Ulicny, Dapose and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes, with whom T ...
mentions the Sokol in the song, "Amorous in Bauhaus Fashion," from the album
Media
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...
.
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...
wrote the song, "Sokol Auditorium," about the venue.
Neva Dinova
The Neva (russian: Нева́, ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it is ...
's music video for "Yellow Datsun," was filmed at the Auditorium, and Johnny Rioux of the
Street Dogs
Street Dogs were an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002 by former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together.
History
In 1997, McColgan left Dropkick Murp ...
collapsed on stage on February 27, 2007 of an apparent seizure while his band was opening for
Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band[Life Is Good Out Now](_blank)
Floggingmolly. ...
.
See also
*
Music in Omaha
Music in Omaha, Nebraska, has been a diverse and important influence in the culture of the city. Long a home to jazz, blues, funk and rock, today Omaha has dozens of subgenres represented, including Latin, alternative rock and hip hop. Omaha's h ...
References
External links
Sokol OmahaSokol AuditoriumSokol Underground
*Map:
{{Coord, 41, 14, 19, N, 95, 56, 02, W, format=dms, display=inline,title, type:landmark_region:US-NE
1862 establishments in Nebraska Territory
Czech-American history
Music venues in Omaha, Nebraska
History of South Omaha, Nebraska
Theatres in Omaha, Nebraska
Czech-American culture in Omaha, Nebraska
Sokol in the United States