The Polish National Home is an ethnic community support organization in
Hartford, Connecticut. Its facilities are located at 60 Charter Oak Avenue, south of downtown Hartford, in an architecturally distinctive
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
building. It was built in 1930 to a design by Polish-American architect Henry Ludorf, and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1983.
History
Polish immigrants began settling on Hartford southeast side as early as 1889, and the area soon developed as an ethnic enclave. The Roman Catholic Church of Sts Cyril and Methodius was established in 1902 as an early focus of the community. A number of social support organizations were also established, to lend assistance to arriving immigrants and provide mutual assistance. In 1917 the Polish National Corporation was founded as an umbrella for these efforts. In 1918, after the church moved to a new building, it occupied the church's old building. This organization changed its name to the Polish National Home Corporation in 1927, and solicited plans from Polish-American architects for construction of a new home. This project was awarded to Henry Ludorf, and the present edifice was built with funds raised from the local Polish community. It was dedicated in 1930, and served as a focal point for local Polish cultural events.
A small, rather inconspicuous plaque displays the high water mark of the Flood of 1936.
On December 30th, 2022, the Polish National Home building was sold to For His Glory Church Ministries.
Architecture
Architecturally, the Home's building is a distinctive local example of
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
architecture. Its facades facing Charter Oak Avenue and Governor Street are finished in buff brick, with a central projecting entry section of ashlar concrete block. Eagle crests (the
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
being a symbol of Polish identity) are found above the entrance, and in panels above the windows in the projecting section. Stylized piers with Art Deco capitals separate the main windows on the Governor Street facade, and both facades have small octagonal windows placed at several levels. The octagonal pattern is repeated in the interior fixtures of the hall, which are also part of Ludorf's original design. The interior space is organized with a banquet hall, bar, and kitchen on the ground floor, and a large auditorium space on the second level.
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See also
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References
External links
Polish National Home web site
{{National Register of Historic Places
Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Art Deco architecture in Connecticut
Buildings and structures completed in 1930
Buildings and structures in Hartford, Connecticut
Polish-American culture in Connecticut